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.