ASEAN Troika not designed for Maluku, says Alwi Shihab
BANGKOK (JP): Indonesia affirmed on Tuesday its support for the newly formed ASEAN Troika mechanism designed to cope with transborder issues, but stressed that it would not accept the new mechanism in the bloody sectarian conflict in its eastern Maluku provinces.
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab underlined that the troika was not a suitable issue to warrant the mediation of the ASEAN Troika, while asserting that the Maluku issue was a wholly domestic problem.
The two-day meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers, which ended on Tuesday, saw an agreement to establish the ASEAN Troika to help face and resolve domestic issues which may have regional implications.
However, the troika will still base its work on consensus, and thus any one of the 10 ASEAN member states has the option of rejecting the intercession of the troika if it considers the matter to be an internal affair.
Alwi said that the troika would likely be more appropriate in handling problems such as drug trafficking, forest fires and haze.
"The troika can be used to solve these problems because it involves other countries," he remarked.
Alwi then reasserted that Indonesia would be willing to consider technical assistance in the case of Maluku.
"Humanitarian relief maybe, not personnel in terms of military forces."
Terms
The idea of a troika was agreed upon during the informal ASEAN summit in Manila last year.
In the past two days, the ministers agreed to a set of principles and terms of how the troika would work.
In its document on the troika, the ASEAN ministers agreed that the purpose of this ad hoc committee would be to "enable ASEAN to address in a timely manner urgent and important regional political and security issues and situations of common concern likely to disturb the regional peace and harmony".
However, under the scope of the troika's, it was also stated that it "shall refrain from addressing issues that constitute the internal affairs of ASEAN member countries".
Thai foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan, who presided over the meetings as ASEAN chairman, said that he could give no specific examples that could warrant the enactment of the new mechanism. He merely gave the nature and criteria of issues which are "common", "threatening" and "urgent" as those which might need the intervention of the troika.
He acknowledged that there were still "limitations" on how far the troika could go, given the ability of individual member states to reject it.
"But we agreed that through the process of consultations we would gradually agree on the emergency nature of the issue, or the spill over effect of the issue and would be able to respond," he said.
The effectiveness of the troika, which comprises the current, past and future ASEAN chair, would depend very much on the ability of the current chairman, who officially has been given a great deal of leeway to examine various issues.
If there is an objection over the role of the troika, the chair can then call for the a meeting of the 10 foreign ministers to further discuss the issue.
Surin seemed to relish the idea of being given that much latitude in looking at various issues, admitting that "I wish I had that much latitude during the past year ... It would have been a different chairmanship".
When pressed further on the lack of clear guidelines of how the troika would work, particularly the definitions of issues in which it could be invoked, Surin replied: "This is as best as we can explain and contemplate prior to the real situation happening".
He admitted that the birth of the troika was in large part due to the perceived waning influence of ASEAN.
"Some have said that the ASEAN organization, particularly after the crisis, is not relevant, is not capable, not effective. And we are addressing that very perception," he asserted.
"The troika is just one effort to make it worthy of your confidence." (mds)