ASEAN explores S. China Sea issue
ASEAN explores S. China Sea issue
By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat
SINGAPORE (JP): Senior officials from the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) decided here on Tuesday to submit
a draft code of conduct on the South China Sea to a special
working group for further discussion.
"The decision by the SOM (Senior Officials Meeting) is to
report to the AMM (ASEAN Ministerial Meeting) to refer the issue
to a working group," said a Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs
spokesperson.
The working group is expected to "further study, elaborate and
discuss the draft", the spokesperson added.
It will be up to ASEAN foreign ministers, who begin an annual
two-day meeting here on Friday, to decide on the issue.
Officials expressed confidence that ministers would adopt the
proposal to form a working group for the code of conduct. The
group is expected to begin its first session before a scheduled
informal ASEAN meeting in November.
Thailand, who will assume the rotating chairmanship of the
grouping, will head the working group. At present there is no set
deadline for the adoption of the code.
Formed in 1967, ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam.
Overlapping claims in the South China Sea, particularly in the
Spratly Islands, have been identified as a potential flash point
in the region.
The potentially oil-rich area is claimed wholly or in part by
Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Most recently the competing claims have caused tension between
Beijing and Manila due to the construction of Chinese military
structures on Mischief Reef, which the Philippines claim.
Once adopted, the code of conduct would set out guidelines for
behavior, at the very least among ASEAN member states, in the
South China Sea, with the ultimate aim of diffusing any potential
conflict.
Delegates were reluctant to divulge details of the draft code,
saying only that it was designed in the form of a detailed
agreement.
In its draft form, it contains 14 articles covering several
dimensions such as the environment and search and rescue.
The need for a code of conduct for the South China Sea was
agreed by ASEAN in 1996. Earlier this year ASEAN officials
assigned the Philippines and Vietnam to submit a draft document.
The issue of the South China Sea is expected to be raised
again when ASEAN ministers hold their meeting here on Friday or
at the ASEAN Regional Forum which also will draw foreign
ministers from China, the European Union, Japan, South Korea and
the United States.
ASEAN senior officials also held on Tuesday preparatory talks
for their ministers' meeting.
The Singapore spokesperson said officials "wrapped up their
work quickly", with only the finalization of the draft of the
ministers' joint communique left to be completed.
"There are no substantive differences, just finding the
language that is acceptable to everyone," the spokesperson said.