ASEAN summit more than a ceremonial occasion

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.