EU warned not to scrutinize E. Timor

EU warned not to scrutinize E. Timor

JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) yesterday warned the European Union (EU) that continued
scrutiny of extraneous issues, such as East Timor, could
aggravate relations between the two regional organizations.

A joint press statement issued by ASEAN leaders after an
informal summit included an expression of concern towards the
persistence of an EU member to introduce such matters in the
cooperation framework.

"While recognizing the importance of ASEAN-EU relations which
have developed over the past two decades, the ASEAN heads of
government noted with increasing concern the efforts of one
member country of the EU to introduce extraneous issues such as
the question of East Timor in the economic cooperation and
interaction between ASEAN and the EU," the statement said.

"They (ASEAN heads of government) believed that the
introduction of such an extraneous issue would only lead to
unwarranted aggravation in ASEAN-EU relations," Indonesian
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said reading the
statement.

While the statement did not say which EU member they meant,
Alatas admitted it was Portugal.

ASEAN heads of government held their first informal summit
here yesterday at the Hilton Hotel.

Those attending the one-day meeting were Brunei's Sultan
Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesian President Soeharto, Malaysian Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Singaporean Premier Goh Chok Tong,
Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos and Vietnamese Prime Minister
Vo Van Kiet.

Due to a recent change in government, Thailand sent Deputy
Prime Minister Amnuay Virawan.

While members appeared to overlook each other's domestic
problems, yesterday's statement was unprecedented as ASEAN as a
group has never formally cautioned another grouping against
poaching into the affairs of one of its members.

"The (ASEAN) heads of government reiterated their full support
for the Indonesian position on East Timor and rejected the
introduction of such an extraneous issue into ASEAN-EU
relations," the statement asserted.

The former Portuguese colony of East Timor was integrated into
Indonesia in 1976. However, the United Nations still regard
Lisbon as the administrative power there.

In various international fora, Portugal continues to harp on
the issue, and questions Jakarta's human rights record in East
Timor.

The UN secretary-general for the past few years has sponsored
tripartite talks on East Timor between the Indonesian and
Portuguese foreign ministers. The ninth tripartite talks are to
be held in New York later this month.

In their statement yesterday, ASEAN warned that Portugal's
actions could jeopardize the tripartite process.

Alatas admitted that Indonesia had forwarded the issue to the
other ASEAN leaders and received their full support.

He said Portugal's actions in introducing such issues within
the ASEAN-EU framework "has increasingly become an irritant".

However, he stressed that outside the EU framework, Jakarta
has good bilateral ties with virtually all countries in Europe.

Separately, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad vouched yesterday
for the exclusion of "extraneous issues" in the dialog and
cooperation of the two regional groupings.

"There may be no dialog if there is insistence to discuss it,"
he said, referring to the next ASEAN-EU dialog meeting in
Singapore next year.

Apart from focusing on relations with the EU, the 16-point
joint statement affirmed ASEAN's commitment to seek a peaceful
solution to the overlapping claims in the South China Sea.

The heads of state also decided to celebrate the group's 30th
anniversary at the second informal summit in Kuala Lumpur next
year. In this regard, ideas would be developed to set up an ASEAN
foundation aimed at raising awareness and people-to-people
contact.

The heads of state also expressed commitment to expedite
ratification of the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone
treaty and any revisions needed for the protocol.

The heads of state also threw their backing behind regional
cooperation projects such as the Mekong Basin development and
criminal matters.

Sitting together in the casual surroundings of the Lotus Room
at the Hilton, the leaders looked relaxed in their yellow-brown
batiks.

Fidel Ramos described the meeting as "most productive because
it was devoid of protocols and ceremony".

After a morning session between ASEAN members, leaders from
the three prospective members of the group -- Cambodia, Laos and
Vietnam, joined the meeting at lunchtime.

They were Cambodian Prime Ministers Prince Norodom Ranaridh
and Hun Sen, Laotian Prime Minister Khamtay Siphandone and
Myanmar Prime Minister Than Shwe. (pwn/rid/mds)