ASEAN finalizing nuclear-free zone treaty

JAKARTA (JP): Senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are scrambling to complete the final text of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone treaty in time for a meeting of the region's 10 leaders in December.

"We are working to finish the text of the treaty so that hopefully we can soon complete the text which will be signed by the heads of state and governments in the coming summit," Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said yesterday.

The treaty, he told reporters, would be signed by the seven ASEAN members -- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- and three non-ASEAN members: Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Alatas made the disclosure after opening a three-day meeting of the ASEAN Standing Committee to prepare for the Bangkok summit at the ASEAN Secretariat.

"In the treaty we're laying the foundations which will guarantee that our region will be nuclear (weapon) free, meaning that we will not produce or store nuclear weapons in any form," Alatas said.

The treaty has been in the works for some time, with officials revealing that it is currently in its eighth draft.

When asked if he believed the treaty could be completed in time, Alatas only replied: "We hope it can be finished so that it can be signed at the ASEAN Summit in Bangkok."

The seven ASEAN leaders will hold their fifth Summit in Bangkok on Dec. 14-15, which will then be followed by a summit gathering the leaders of the ten Southeast Asian countries.

The United States has lately eased its objection to the planned treaty as long as its nuclear fleet is allowed to pass through.

On Washington's condition, Alatas remarked: "We shall ferret certain provisions which will allow innocent passage so that our area does not restrict other countries who just want to pass by," he said without elaborating further.

Another issue which officials are sorting out is the creation of a mechanism that will allow countries outside the Southeast Asian region to accede to ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC).

The treaty, one of the cornerstones of ASEAN, encourages the nations to peacefully cooperate and not to intervene in each other's domestic affairs.

Indonesia has insisted that a separate protocol be set so that countries outside the Southeast Asian region can associate themselves with the treaty.

However, a number of ASEAN members feel that non-regional countries should be allowed to sign the TAC.

"In our opinion, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation is meant as a treaty for Southeast Asian countries. Nevertheless, we do agree that it would be good for the principals contained in the treaty to be observed by outside countries," Alatas said explaining Jakarta's position.

"This is one of the topics we shall be discussing more deeply between ASEAN, which hopefully can be resolved before the summit," he said, adding that the finalization of the two treaties is "imperative at this juncture."

Speaking of the future membership of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, Alatas called for a coordinated ASEAN effort to facilitate their membership.

"I believe it is now time to consider how we can coordinate our assistance to Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar on the basis of an integrated plan to help prepare for membership," he said.

ASEAN is currently assisting Cambodian and Laotian officials with training in English, the official language in ASEAN.

Furthermore, Alatas told officials at yesterday's meeting to develop ways for ASEAN to expand popular participation and to forge a common political culture. (mds)