ASEAN finishes draft regional security plan
ASEAN finishes draft regional security plan
Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta
After two-days of lengthy deliberations, senior officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Sunday have finalized a draft plan of action for the establishment of a regional security community.
The ASEAN Security Community (ASC) idea was first initiated by Indonesia, the current chair of the ASEAN, as a means of handling security matters and disputes through a regional framework rather than bilaterally or through international forums.
The draft would be submitted to the ASEAN foreign ministers for endorsement during their 37th annual ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Jakarta on Tuesday.
"We are now in a position to submit the draft to the ASEAN ministerial meeting (AMM)," Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Marty A. Natalegawa said after the senior officials meeting (ASEAN-SOM) in Jakarta.
The ASEAN-SOM will end its session on Monday.
Foreign ministers of ASEAN will decide whether or not to endorse the draft on Tuesday.
Their meeting comes ahead of security talks of ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on Friday with ASEAN's 13 dialog partners, including all the major world powers.
Once the ASEAN foreign ministers endorse such a draft, the document will then be adopted by ASEAN leaders at a summit in November in Laos. In a rotating system, Laos will assume the chairmanship of ASEAN from Indonesia.
Marty stressed the ASC draft would be remain confidential even after the AMM meeting.
Meanwhile, M.C. Abad Jr. -- the head of newly established ARF Unit at the ASEAN Secretariat -- said the launching of the plan toward an ASC would be a significant leap forward in the evolution of ASEAN political and security cooperation.
"It is expected to contribute to the maintenance of inter- state peace and stability in our part of the world," Abad told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the meeting.
Asked whether there were still unresolved issues on the ASC plan of action, Abad said "No".
On a separate occasion at the same venue, Abad admitted the final draft was a "less-than-ideal" version that differed from Indonesia's original proposal but was still an important achievement.
"It's a compromise document but an important step forward for the organization," Abad said.
Laos Embassy deputy chief of mission Oukham Sengkeomixay, who attended the SOM, said the senior officials meeting went smoothly.
"I think the ASC is important for the future of ASEAN because, more or less, ASC is one of the instruments that will secure the region," he told the Post.
"As we are going to be next chair of ASEAN, we are just looking forward to implementing the ASC, We're hopeful all ASEAN members will absorb the ASC into their national security framework," he said.
The ASC envisages strengthening national and regional capacities to fight terrorism and crime, and boosting political and security cooperation.
The original action plan proposed by Indonesia suggested the formation of an ASEAN peacekeeping force and human rights commission, which would make a united effort against terrorist acts and other abuses.
Marty earlier said the action plan received cautious support, a far less enthusiastic response than that for the original proposal by Indonesia, with most member countries saying the security community should not trespass their sovereignty.
Marty said the original plan met with big challenges from member countries, with some commenting that it was more like a solution to nonexistent problems, as so far, no serious political constellation had formed among ASEAN members.