Fostering cooperation

Fostering cooperation

Contrary to what some observers may have anticipated, the two- day encounter between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and European Union foreign ministers ended Friday in Singapore on a note of goodwill and optimism for the future, differences notwithstanding. Instead of confrontation over the contentious issue of human rights and politics, a mood of compromise and mutual accommodation between the two regional blocks prevailed, judging by the 19-point Joint Declaration marking the end of the meeting.

To quote S. Jayakumar, Singapore's foreign minister who co- chaired the conference together with his Dutch colleague Hans van Mierlo: "The ministers had frank and substantive discussions on several issues which I've not seen before. In some ways, it was a path-breaking meeting. I am very happy with the progress we have made."

This, unfortunately, does not obscure the fact that not all of the obstacles towards unimpaired relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) have been cleared away. On the contrary, the absence of a new cooperation agreement to replace the one conceived in 1980, for which ASEAN has been pushing, is a clear indication that principle differences between the two sides remain.

The Europeans insist that clauses dealing with human rights must be included in any new agreement. The ASEAN countries, for their part, contend that the ASEAN-EU forum is not appropriate for the discussion of politics or human rights. The contradiction emerged with even greater clarity during the first-ever Asia- Europe Meeting, an extended Asian-European cooperation forum which, apart from the EU and the seven ASEAN countries -- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- also included China, Japan and South Korea.

French Foreign Minister Herve, for example, told reporters that he considered a political dialogue one of the essential dimensions of the forum, established in May in Bangkok by 25 Asian and European heads of state and government. His Austrian counterpart, Wolfgang Schussel, argued that without "political dialogue", Asia and Europe, two of the world's economic and trade giants, would be "reduced to dwarves on the political ground". On the other hand, one cannot lightly dismiss ASEAN's position that allowing political issues to dominate the forum would turn it into a United Nations and thereby make it redundant.

Given the distinctly incongruous points of view that are at present setting the two sides apart -- and the compelling circumstances that prevail in some ASEAN countries -- it seems highly improbable that full rapport can be accomplished between ASEAN and the EU in the foreseeable future. In its vagueness, even the upbeat tone of the joint ASEAN-EU declaration cannot hide the fact that the main stumbling blocks remain.

At the same time, however, it should be remembered that the spirit of compromise and accommodation which emanates from the declaration points to the fact that both sides realize the importance of stepping up cooperation as two of the world's major regional blocks. This realization, surely, is reason for confidence that the basis for stepped-up cooperation is intact. In time, hopefully, improved circumstances will make it possible for both sides to move forward so concrete steps can be taken to promote the well-being of the millions living in these two major regions of the world.