Asian nations 'close to' accord on disputed waters

Asian nations 'close to' accord on disputed waters

BEIJING (AP): Asian nations are close to agreeing on rules to
govern their conduct in the disputed South China Sea, a Chinese
Foreign Ministry official said on Wednesday.

China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations are expected to discuss the code next week at a meeting
in Vietnam, said Fu Ying, director of the Foreign Ministry's Asia
Department.

ASEAN is made up of Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia,
Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia.

"We've covered most of the items for a code of conduct and
consensus has been reached, I think, on the majority of the
elements," Fu said at a briefing for reporters on the meeting.

"I don't know yet if there will be a final conclusion but I
think it's near, it's not very difficult," she said.

The South China Sea is considered one of Asia's most dangerous
potential flashpoints. Six governments have conflicting claims in
the area.

Busy shipping lanes pass through the South China Sea, which
also has rich fishing grounds and is thought to lie atop oil and
gas deposits.

Fu said some ASEAN countries disagree about which areas should
be covered by the code of conduct, but did not say which
countries.

She said China was flexible and willing for the code to cover
either the South China Sea or just the contested Spratly Islands.

The code would focus on a commitment to peacefully resolve
disputes in the area, said Fu.

"But if there's no progress there isn't much to talk about,"
she said. "We have to wait for the ASEAN countries to sort out
their differences."