ASEAN thinks of expansion but neighbors not ready yet

ASEAN thinks of expansion but neighbors not ready yet

By Pandaya

BANGKOK (JP): The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) is thinking about extending membership to cover all the
10 states in Southeast Asia, as the six founding member nations
initially intended.

The assembled ASEAN foreign ministers have intensely discussed
the possibility of including Cambodia and Myanmar -- plus Vietnam
and Laos, two former ASEAN's ideological foes.

ASEAN, grouping Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines,
Thailand and Singapore, used to be ideologically opposed to the
four non-member nations in the midst of Cold War rivalries.

Vietnam and Laos have both been invited to the ongoing annual
meeting as observers, and they have applied for membership of the
group. It is reported that the former has secured strong support,
while Laos has admitted it would need longer before it
could fulfill the requirements.

Vietnam and Laos acceded to the Treaty of Amity and
Cooperation in Southeast Asia during the 1992 Manila ASEAN.
Myanmar is represented for the first time in the current meeting
as host Thailand's guest.

"Southeast Asian regionalism may soon be expanded to include
Indochinese countries and Myanmar as these states are
progressively advancing toward market-oriented economies," said
Thai Foreign Minister Prasong Soonsiri.

Solidarity

Similar hope has been expressed by Philippine Foreign
Secretary Roberto R. Romulo.

"With the divisions in Southeast Asia largely healed, we can,
even now, talk with confidence about Southeast Asian solidarity
and of a Southeast Asian community as a concept planted in our
peoples' minds and consciousness," he said.

In his bilateral discussions with Vietnamese Foreign Minister
Nguyen Manh Cam in Bangkok earlier this week, Romulo reiterated
Philippine support for Vietnam's inclusion into ASEAN.

Hanoi has repeatedly voiced its desire to join the block and
discuss the practical modalities for obtaining membership but
declined to reveal when it might be ready.

ASEAN, set up in 1967 to enhance regional cooperation and
repel communism, played a pivotal role in the international
pressure for Vietnam to leave Cambodia in 1989.

Indonesia has also aired its support to the efforts to expand
the ASEAN's fold. Foreign Minister Ali Alatas cautioned, however,
that not all the four other Southeast Asian countries might be
able to meet the financial requirements.

Laos, for instance, has frankly conceded it is unable to spend
money for the staff it would need. The association convenes about
200 meetings in different places every year.

"Sometime in the foreseeable future, the number of ASEAN
members will become seven at the most," Alatas said. The new
member will be Vietnam.

Irrelevant

Aware of the various constraints, Thailand has made use of
the ongoing foreign ministerial meeting to initiate "SEA Ten", a
regional solidarity forum which will embrace Burma, Cambodia and
Laos before they are economically strong enough to jump into
ASEAN fold.

To garner support from other member countries, Bangkok plans
to bring the 10 countries together in a seminar late this year or
early next year.

But some other member countries like Indonesia have
practically shot down the SEA Ten initiative, arguing that, if it
comes true, it will be in conflict with ASEAN.

However, Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Badawi argued
that the other four countries will eventually become ASEAN
members.

"SEA Ten will become irrelevant in the light of this
consensus. It's will not be difficult to bring them in," he said.

Alatas said, "The (SEA Ten) initiative is okay so long as it
is handled at the non-governmental level."

Thai Deputy Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said the planned
seminar would proceed despite the skepticism. However, he said
that most of the progress would be made at an academic level, and
the meeting would largely serve as a forum for exchanging views
on regional cooperation.