ASEAN draft communique in progress
JAKARTA (JP): Senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) began finalizing the draft of the joint communique to be issued at a ministerial meeting here this weekend.
The chairman of the senior officials meeting, Indonesia's Izhar Ibrahim, said yesterday that delegates at their afternoon session had begun combining the document's two sections -- the political and non-political copies -- into a single draft for adoption by the ministers.
Izhar would not reveal the contents of the communique, but said the political section contained "traditional subjects" of political cooperation, along with topics pertaining to both regional and global issues.
The senior officials gathered yesterday for the opening day of a two-day meeting to prepare for Saturday's ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.
The ministerial meeting will conclude on Sunday with the adoption of a joint communique which covers a variety of political and economic issues.
ASEAN comprises Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Separately, delegates revealed that the joint communique will note their acceptance of applications from Cambodia and Laos as new members and Myanmar as an observer in ASEAN.
Cambodia and Laos have stated their desire to formally join ASEAN next year.
No mention of the domestic political situation in Myanmar will be made in the communique. Izhar earlier said "there is no mention of the internal issue of Myanmar".
The focus on Myanmar is expected to continue as ministers host the ASEAN Regional Forum here (ARF) on Tuesday. The ARF is a consultative forum which brings together ASEAN and their various dialog partners such as Australia, Canada and the United States.
ASEAN has continued to maintain a constructive engagement with Myanmar, despite the West's strong criticism of Yangon's human rights record.
On the progress of the ARF, the communique is expected to note the ministers' satisfaction at its progress and stress that ASEAN must continue to be the driving force in the 21-member forum.
Ministers are also expected to underline the need to establish a criteria for new ASEAN dialog partners.
Other regional issues likely to be contained in the communique are the overlapping claims in the South China Sea and calls for the resumption of talks between Seoul and Pyongyang. Reference will also be made to the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO).
Izhar said that Indonesia, for the second consecutive year, will contribute US$325,000 to KEDO. He added that other ASEAN members have also expressed interest in contributing.
On global issues, the communique will likely continue to stress ASEAN's concern for disarmament and nuclear non- proliferation. Reference will also be made to the importance of concluding the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which is now under negotiation.
Another delegate at the meeting said that ASEAN ministers will also underline the importance of functional cooperation, as did their leaders in last year's summit in Bangkok.
ASEAN ministers are expected to promote cooperation that highlights the environment, culture, science and technology and social development.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas will address the senior officials at their closing session today.
Several foreign ministers are also scheduled to begin arriving today for Saturday's ministerial meeting.
Brunei's Mohammad Bolkiah is scheduled to arrive this morning, while the Cambodian, Laotian and Myanmarese foreign ministers are expected to arrive later this afternoon. (mds)