Dialog on security gains momentum

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.