EU resists ASEAN's calls on Bosnia, nuclear test

EU resists ASEAN's calls on Bosnia, nuclear test

By Oei Eng Goan

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (JP): The calls made by the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the cessation of nuclear tests
and the lifting of the arms embargo imposed on Bosnia were
resisted by some of its dialog partners at the Post Ministerial
Conference (PMC) held yesterday.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's appeal to
participants at the meeting to join ASEAN's stance on Bosnia-
Herzegovina was rejected by Spain, who represented the European
Union (EU) at the meeting.

Addressing the statement yesterday, Badawi reiterated the
joint-statement issued by foreign ministers of the seven ASEAN
countries, which called for international support to stop the
continuing aggression of the safe areas, as well as ethnic
cleansing and genocide of the Bosnian people by the Serbs.

The statement, which also includes a call for an immediate
lifting of the arms embargo imposed on the Bosnian government,
was issued last Friday, a day prior to the opening of the 28th
annual ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Brunei's capital.

But Spanish Foreign Minister Javier Solana told journalists
after attending the PMC that the lifting of the arms embargo was
not the only appropriate solution to the Bosnian problem and that
relaxation of the arms embargo could only be carried out through
a United Nations decision.

"In any case, we do think lifting the arms embargo should be a
decision of the UN, not a unilateral decision of a certain
country," Solana stated.

Saying that the UN's dignity had been trampled upon by the
Serbs, Badawi told the meeting that Malaysia's request to
increase its peacekeeping troops operating under the United
Nations Protection Forces in Bosnia (UNPROFOR) was refused,
conflicting with the UN statement that UNPROFOR did not have a
sufficient number of personnel and equipment.

Of all the members in ASEAN -- which groups Indonesia, Brunei,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- the
Kuala Lumpur government is considered as the most defiant against
the embargo on Bosnia. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad even
suggested last month that Malaysia would be willing to sell
weapons to Bosnia, so that the Bosnian people could defend
themselves against atrocities committed by the Serbs.

Another dissension between the regional grouping and its
Western dialog partners during the meeting was the violation of
the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by some signatory
countries.

But France, which has planned to resume a series of tests on
Murorua islands in the South Pacific starting next month, said
yesterday that it wanted to secure the reliability of its nuclear
armament, which was important for stability in Europe.

"It's in the interest of the European region, because nuclear
defense forces promote European stability," French Minister for
EU Affairs Michel Bariner said.

"We understand the feeling and the concern (of ASEAN members),
but we are here to answer them," Bariner said, adding that ASEAN
members should also understand France's sovereignty and rights
over the region which it will use for testing its nuclear
capability.

Concerns were also shown by other countries attending the PMC,
including Australia, which is one of ASEAN dialog partners. The
other partners are the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea,
New Zealand, and all 15 members of the European Union.

Australia's Foreign Minister Gareth Evans said that his
country deplored the violations of the NPT, saying that "these
actions have betrayed the trusts of many countries. Moreover,
continued nuclear testing represents a potential threat to
negotiations for a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which are
entering a crucial stage in Geneva," Evans said.

The two-day PMC meeting ended yesterday afternoon and will be
followed by a joint press conference.