Australia, New Zealand welcomed by ASEAN after Mahathir exit
Australia, New Zealand welcomed by ASEAN after Mahathir exit
Ian Mader, Associated Press, Vientiane
Many in Southeast Asia say Australia is too Western to join the
region's core club of nations. But Canberra has been given a
guest pass for the region's annual conference this week, and the
promise of free trade talks soon.
In a key step toward improving often-icy relations, the 10
members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
invited Prime Minister John Howard of Australia and his
counterpart from neighboring New Zealand, Helen Clark, to their
summit.
The ASEAN and Oceania countries are scheduled to sign
agreements to start free trade talks next year. Senior officials
start meeting on Thursday to prepare for the two-day summit
opening on Monday.
Southeast Asian and Oceania leaders have not met in a summit
since 1977 - a reflection of deep suspicion that Malaysia and
other ASEAN heavyweights have felt toward Australia.
Canberra's ties with Kuala Lumpur improved since the
retirement last year of Mahathir Mohamad, the former prime
minister who made no secret of his dislike for Australian
leaders.
Mahathir would bluntly explain why he wanted to keep Australia
out of ASEAN despite Canberra's desire for closer ties: The
Australians don't look Asian, are culturally European and
geographically too distant.
"They have a leader who is totally insensitive and thinks he
is the white-man sheriff in some black country," Mahathir said of
Howard in late 2002.
Analysts say distrust of Australia and New Zealand runs deeper
than skin color.
"They don't know themselves whether they belong to the West or
the East. That's one issue they must settle themselves," said
Ramon Navaratnam of the independent Asian Strategy and Leadership
Institute in Kuala Lumpur.
Indonesia was angry with Australia for leading a multinational
force into East Timor in 1999 to end violence by the Indonesian
military and its supporters after the territory voted for
independence. But it in recent years, Australians have teamed
with Indonesians to fight a common enemy: terrorists.
Many Asians are extremely touchy about sovereignty, and were
rankled that U.S. George W. Bush appointed Howard his regional
deputy in the war on terror. Many are still angry about Howard's
announcement in 2002 that Australia would reserve the right to
launch pre-emptive strikes in other countries against terrorists
if they threaten his country or citizens.
Australia and New Zealand "haven't come out to identify
themselves as Asian. How do you regard a deputy sheriff of the
United States as genuinely Asian?" Navaratnam said.
Malaysia's current prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is a
Mr. Nice Guy who has made clear he harbors no ill-will toward any
country. Abdullah gave Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander
Downer a red carpet welcome when he visited Malaysia in June.
Alexander says the Laos summit is a "a great opportunity for
us to lay the foundations for creating a free-trade area between
ASEAN and Australia and New Zealand."
Ministers from ASEAN and Oceania countries agreed in September
to start talks next year on a free-trade agreement to eliminate
tariffs and non-tariff barriers in goods, services and
investment. Leaders will discuss the timeline for the talks on
Tuesday.
"The departure of Mahathir from prime ministership has given
ASEAN new impetus to move forward," said Chin Kin Wah, a regional
analyst with Singapore-based Institute of Southeast Asian
Studies.