ASEAN rebuffs U.S. objections to treaty

ASEAN rebuffs U.S. objections to treaty

By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat

BANGKOK (JP): ASEAN labeled as groundless yesterday the United
States's refusal to support the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapons
Free Zone (SEANWFZ) treaty.

Indonesia's Arizal Effendi, the foreign ministry's director of
international agreements, explained yesterday that none of the
concerns put forth by Washington were valid.

He said the U.S. was mainly concerned that members the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were trying to
expand their territory through the SEANWFZ.

U.S. concerns of "gripping jurisdiction" are a result of the
nuclear free zone, which is made up of each ASEAN member's
continental-shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone. It is feared that
the zone will restrict the movement of U.S. warships, an
accusation Arizal denies.

The U.S. State Department on Friday raised strong objections
to the SEANWFZ, stating that Washington would not sign the treaty
in its present form.

The SEANWFZ promises to be the highlight of the fifth ASEAN
Summit, which begins on Thursday. Three southeast Asian heads of
state -- Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar -- will also sign the treaty.

The SEANWFZ confirms ASEAN's commitment not to produce or
acquire nuclear weapons.

The ASEAN Summit is being preceded by a two-day ministerial
meeting which starts today.

U.S. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said on Friday
that SEANWFZ must not affect the rights of states as guaranteed
by international law along with the rights of passage to sea
lanes.

Arizal contended that all these questions are already
guaranteed under SEANWFZ and pointed to Article II of the treaty,
which states that nothing in the treaty will prejudice the rights
of states under the provisions of the 1982 United Nations
Convention on Law of the Sea.

He also noted that Article VII permits port calls by foreign
naval ships.

On the question of verification, which Washington has also
brought up, Arizal maintained that during previous consultations
the U.S. has never made it into an issue before.

Separately, Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said upon
his arrival in Bangkok yesterday that he could not understand
Washington's objections.

"I really don't know why there would be any difficulties," he
said.

Nevertheless, Alatas remained confident that with further
consultation the U.S. would rectify its objections.

When asked by The Jakarta Post whether the U.S. move came as a
surprise, Alatas said that it was not.

"From the start we knew there were some aspects which are
sensitive to them and we have tried to overcome these but
apparently a few still remain," he said after arriving here with
Coordinating Minister for Production and Distribution Hartarto.

Philippines's Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Rodolfo
Severino yesterday afternoon also told Indonesian journalists
that U.S. concerns that SEANWFZ will affect existing defense
arrangements in the region were unsubstantiated.

"We believe that the treaty is compatible with the mutual
defense treaty," he said of the defense pact between Manila and
Washington.

Despite the reservations he was hopeful the U.S. would change
its position in the future. "We hope that eventually they'll get
on board," he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian foreign minister Abdullah Badawi said
yesterday that ASEAN should just go ahead no matter what the U.S.
thinks.

"This our treaty, we have to do what we want," he said.