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.