ASEAN summit more than a ceremonial occasion

Bantarto Bandoro, Jakarta

The 10th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Vientiane, which marks the beginning of the Lao chairmanship, will likely be the most important international event in Laos's recent history, as well as raising the image and position of Laos in the international arena.

The Vientiane summit will be closely watched by the international community, especially ASEAN's immediate neighbors, as it moves itself into an integrated regional community by 2020. The idea of an ASEAN Community will definitely be the main theme throughout the summit and one that will provide the basis for the direction of ASEAN and its future activities. Thus, the summit will be an important venue to express further its commitment for a change.

ASEAN's regional diplomatic moves will not end in Vientiane, but will go beyond it if ASEAN shows a consistent committed in its strategic platform and has success in building its regional identity.

As in the previous summits, the agenda of this summit also has been prepared by bureaucrats through a series of meetings. So, there is virtually no possibility of a summit failure. The summit seemed was intentionally designed not to become a problem solver. Real debate among ASEAN leaders in Vientiane is therefore unlikely to happen.

It will also be less burdened by the need to adopt new regional policies, because the Vientiane Action Program (VAP), as a successor of the Hanoi Plan of Action, was already thoroughly discussed during the 37th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting held in Jakarta this year.

Many critics pointed out that the Vientiane summit would serve as a forum for discussion, not necessarily to give a new orientation or substance to ASEAN and not even to deviate from an agreed upon common stand. It may just end up as a rubber-stamp forum, because the official negotiations will, in fact, be concluded at lower levels.

There is nothing wrong with this, because the regional grouping's overall performance will be evaluated not on the extent to which its bureaucrats have helped direct ASEAN's orientation as reflected in the official documents, but more on how the top leaders perceive the current and future regional strategic problems. If the plan for the ASEAN Community needs fundamental changes, in response to changes in the way the leaders see regional problems, then the Vientiane summit would have to come out with fresh and bold policies as how the changes should really benefit the group's members and the region as a whole.

The Vientiane summit should not serve only to accommodate differences. In light of the enormous expectations from the public in the region, ASEAN leaders might be tempted to compromise with "false solutions".

The ASEAN 10th summit will be held under the theme of promoting an active and secure ASEAN family by boosting solidarity, economic cooperation and progress. The summit is scheduled to focus on comprehensively enhancing ASEAN's alignment, boosting cooperation in eastern Asia as well as India, Australia and New Zealand.

"Boosting ASEAN+3 cooperation" will be the theme of the ASEAN + 3 Summit Meeting (with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea), while the ASEAN+1 Summit Meetings (with India) will be entitled "Deepening Partnership".

The Vientiane Action Plan (VAP) in the 2004-2010 period along with an action plan for ASEAN socio-cultural community, an action plan to implement a joint declaration on ASEAN-China strategic partnerships for peace and prosperity, an ASEAN-Japan joint declaration on cooperation in fighting international terrorism, a joint declaration on 30th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand dialog partnership, an ASEAN-India partnership declaration for peace, development and prosperity and an ASEAN - the Republic of Korea joint declaration on comprehensive partnership cooperation are scheduled to be discussed and passed at the meetings.

The above plans clearly reflect the fact that ASEAN has stretched its arms much further and has served as a kind of regional magnet in which other external actors cannot avoid but to be part of ASEAN's long-term regional activities. This is the kind of regional dynamism the Vientiane summit hopes to display to the region, meaning that ASEAN's long-term diplomatic activities will be centered particularly on the above ventures.

If ASEAN is successful in establishing the ASEAN Community by 2020, it is assumed that ASEAN's external relations will also be stable and thus shape ASEAN's long-term image. Thus, the Vientiane summit is tasked to map out long-term strategic plans, one that would not only guarantee the realization of the ASEAN plan of action at least until 2010, but also provide a stronger political and security basis for future diplomatic activities inside as well as outside the region.

The summit will be highly valued as it takes place at a time when the world is eager to promote global free trade as well as seeking a stronger collaborative effort in the fight against international terrorism and when ASEAN itself is set to sideline their differences in certain policy issues. ASEAN's leaders should stay together within such a framework.

ASEAN leaders should also see to it that the Vientiane summit remains instrumental in developing long-term regional security and stability. It is thus an important stabilizing element in the regional order. But if ASEAN is to make the best use of its coming summit, it must steer clear of being seen merely as a ceremonial get-together. Focusing only on the physical meeting without much reference to the wider diplomatic context as mentioned above will not do any good for ASEAN's long-term vision and objectives.

The writer (bandoro@csis.or.id) is Editor of The Indonesian Quarterly of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is also a lecturer at the International Relations Post Graduate Studies Program, Faculty of Social and Political Science, University of Indonesia, Jakarta.