East Asian summit proposal up in the air

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) remained undecided on the proposal for an East Asian summit next year.

Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar, whose country supports the summit, said on Thursday that in principle there was no objection from ASEAN members to the idea, but he understood that ASEAN needed more time to study the proposal.

"For a country like Malaysia, we must not only look at the political dimension, which is important, and I don't deny its importance, but we must look at it in terms of its economic dimension of the loose Northeast and Southeast Asian relationships," he said.

"But we recognize the way in ASEAN. They always talk about step by step, comfort level, pace by pace so that's why we have said let us offer what would be the framework, the principle or the modality that we are comfortable with," he added.

He said Malaysia envisioned that the summit would lead ASEAN to a free trade agreement, particularly with individual East Asian countries.

Malaysia has offered to host the summit in 2005 when it will take its turn in leading ASEAN. Indonesia has shown reservations about the proposal.

"I think the greatest concern or fear in that respect is whether ASEAN will lose its driving seat position. I think this is the concern expressed by countries like Indonesia," he said.

"The leaders would be able to discuss the modality, our concerns and how we want to go about it," he said.

Chinese foreign minister Li Zhaoxing said that the country would support whatever ASEAN decided on the summit.

"We respect the views of ASEAN countries. They are good friends," he said with a smile.

He further said that ASEAN should be able to state its position on the issue. "We're always supportive of ASEAN's position," he said.

He said so far the participating countries had not set any timeframe, but he mentioned that they all have decided on the years, which are 2005 and 2006.

Separately, Singapore's S. Jayakumar confirmed that the proposal of the summit was still being deliberated.

"There are some good proposals on paper which officials are discussing," he said.

Japan's foreign ministry spokesman, Hatsuhisa Takashima, reiterated his country's support for the summit as part of the journey toward the creation of an East Asian Community.

"East Asia is proving itself as the center of economic growth of the world," he said.