Cambodia's ASEAN entry still hang in the balance

Cambodia's ASEAN entry still hang in the balance

By Meidyatama Suryadiningrat

HANOI (JP): The question of Cambodia's admission into ASEAN
hung like a dark cloud as ministers concluded their meetings on
Sunday, with concerns growing that setting too many criteria for
entry could undermine the grouping's revered principle of
nonintervention.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen arrived in the Vietnamese
capital on Sunday morning in what could be a last ditch attempt
to lobby leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) to accept his nation as a full member by the end of their
two-day summit which opens on Tuesday.

Asked by reporters if Cambodia would gain entry at the summit,
Hun Sen said: "Yes, I hope so... We want to join ASEAN soon but
it is beyond my capacity."

Hun Sen, on a state visit to Vietnam, said he would stay on
for the summit, which comes at a critical time for ASEAN's
struggling economies.

Cambodia was set to join ASEAN last year, but the grouping
deferred the entry after Hun Sen ousted co-premier Prince Norodom
Ranariddh in July 1997.

However, following elections last July and the formation of a
new coalition last month, Cambodia has expressed hope it could
finally become part of the regional association comprising
Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

ASEAN foreign ministers remained split on the timing of
Cambodia's admission and decided to defer on the issue to their
leaders.

Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines are calling for a
delay of Cambodia's admission, fearing a renewed resurgence of
hostilities.

According to officials, the question was not discussed further
during Sunday's final round of meetings.

Intervention

Indonesian foreign minister Ali Alatas warned that placing too
much weight on the state of domestic affairs could be construed
as meddling in another country's internal policies.

"There are a number of countries who believe that by
fulfilling the main criteria of forming a coalition government,
then there should not be any further impediments to accepting
Cambodia at this present juncture. But there are others who would
like to wait and see," Alatas said during a briefing with
Indonesian journalists late Saturday.

"Indonesia believes that being cautious is good, but if it is
linked to the admission of a country as a member of ASEAN, if we
are not careful, it could be construed as placing conditions
which are really domestic affairs."

ASEAN has long held the principle of nonintervention as a
guiding premise in its relations.

It defied strong international criticism by admitting Myanmar
last year, saying such matters as human rights abuses were
internal issues of the Yangon regime.

"We should be careful. It's as if now we are making an
evaluation of a domestic situation (of another country) and it
really shouldn't be like that," Alatas contended.

Among the arguments voiced by those who oppose immediate
membership are the establishment of a senate and revision of the
Cambodian constitution.

Alatas, who along with the Philippine and Thai foreign
ministers was assigned last year as part of the ASEAN troika to
engage Cambodia on its domestic turmoil, expressed objections to
such preconditions for gaining membership.

"We have never placed as a criteria the formation of a senate.
What we have always voiced is the establishment of a good
coalition government, and this really has been fulfilled, so why
should more criteria be added?"

Nevertheless, he remained hopeful that a consensus could be
reached among the leaders.

"Maybe there is a different interaction between leaders that
is different than the foreign ministers," Alatas remarked.

An ASEAN official warned on Sunday that another postponement
of Cambodian's admission would be a stinging slap in the face to
Hun Sen, especially since he had traveled to Hanoi to personally
lobby for his country.

The official also foresaw irrevocable political consequences
in damaged relations, especially since Cambodia's King Norodhom
Sihanouk personally wrote to the leaders to back his country's
admission at the summit.

Indonesian President B.J. Habibie is scheduled to arrive for
the summit on Monday.