Dialog on security gains momentum

By Jusuf Wanandi

SINGAPORE: The first ministerial meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held in Bangkok in July last year agreed to continue the process of consultation and dialogs on political and security issues in the Asia Pacific region. The ministers' meeting in Brunei last week and the continuing talks this week further consolidated the process.

First, the recent meeting provides greater opportunity for a more thorough discussion on security issues of the region -- a whole day was devoted to the meeting instead of the three hours last year.

Security issues in the region that received attention included developments on the Korean Peninsula, problems in the South China Sea and internal developments in Cambodia and Myanmar -- issues which were discussed in an open and positive manner.

Efforts to find a solution received encouragement and support, through the Indonesian series of workshops on confidence building measures in the South China Sea.

The efforts of ASEAN to formulate and accept a code of conduct in the South China Sea based on ASEAN'S Manila Declaration of 1992 have also been recognized.

Developments on the Korean Peninsula have been reported and the improvements in Myanmar with the release of Aung San Suu Kyi have been acknowledged and further actions towards political developments encouraged.

Some real apprehensions and protest were also delivered at nuclear testing in the region, both by China and France, especially at a critical junction immediately after the unlimited extension of the NPT (Nuclear Proliferation Treaty) and the finalization of the CTBT (Complete Test Ban Treaty) in 1996.

In relation to this development, the idea of a Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEA-NWFZ) to be proposed by ASEAN in the near future to the other regional countries, especially the nuclear powers, to strengthen the NPT regime has also been discussed.

Second, this meeting has been able to define some organizational principles concerning the ARF, including goals and expectations, pace, direction, method and approach, participation and the implementation of ideas and proposals.

A host of issues, first thrashed out and agreed upon by ASEAN senior officials at the ARF meeting, were later submitted to the ASEAN ministers for their consideration.

In the context, ASEAN's method of consensus and step-by-step approach have been accepted.

Some concrete measures to be taken by the ARF were accepted and proposed for implementation. These included a recommendation to encourage all ARF countries to enhance dialog on security perceptions, either undertaken bilaterally, sub-regionally or regionally, as well as to submit on a voluntary basis an annual statement of their defense policy to the ARF or the ARF senior officials' meeting.

The benefits of increased high-level contacts and exchanges between the military and academics, and staff colleges and training have been widely recognized.

The meeting took note of the increased participation by some ARF members in the UN Conventional Arms Register since the first ARF meeting, and has encouraged those not yet participating to do so.

These are measures aimed at confidence-building and increasing transparency. It was encouraging that the ARF agreed to implement some confidence-building measures.

The meeting agreed to set up working groups which will meet in between annual ministers' meeting. These groups will work especially on confidence-building through dialog on security perceptions and defense policy papers, as well as on cooperative activities such as peace-keeping and search-and-rescue operations.

Third, the role of "second-track" activities is being recognized and cooperation through the chairman of ARF is being encouraged.

This is an important decision, because longer-term issues should be studied first by the second-track participants before they will be taken up by ARF.

Second-track activities are those undertaken by strategic and research institutions attended by officials in their private capacities.

Fourth, the activities of ARF are seen in the light of the ARF's longer-term objective of becoming a mechanism, or process, for conflict resolution in the region.

Meanwhile, confidence-building measures and preventive diplomacy are the main approaches. Some can be undertaken immediately by the ARF. Others, of a more medium-term nature, should be studied and discussed first by the second-track.

Fifth, ASEAN's pivotal role in the process is being recognized by both the more "impatient" Western members and China.

It is now up to the next chairman, Indonesian, to further the process.

On membership, for instance, following Cambodia's admittance at this meeting, the chair should suggest how the ARF should deal with other applicants such as India, Pakistan, Mongolia, North Korea, Kazakhstan and Kyrghystan.

The other agenda item is to lay down more definite principles of cooperation such as the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) that was recognized in the first ARF ministers' meeting as embodying the ideals and principles for regional conduct.

In addition, more concrete proposals need to be made on confidence-building measures and cooperative efforts on peace- keeping and search-and-rescue.

ASEAN is in a unique position to move forward the dialog on political security and cooperation in the Asia Pacific region.

Not only has it developed ideas on comprehensive and cooperative security, but it has been able to show how a diverse region such as Southeast Asia has become a "community of security interests".

However, to maintain leadership, ASEAN must strengthen cooperation among its members and work hard together with all the ARF members to keep up the momentum.

It now is an accepted fact that the ARF is not only going to stay, but is progressing steadily.

The article was reprinted from the Business Times, Aug. 2, 1995. The writer is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies based in Jakarta.