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)