Howard arrives at summit amid pressure to sign pact
Howard arrives at summit amid pressure to sign pact
Australian Prime Minister John Howard arrived in Laos on Monday for a summit of Southeast Asian nations where he is expected to face pressure over his refusal to sign a regional non-aggression pact.
Howard, whose stated policy of pre-emptive strikes to avert terrorist attacks has raised concerns in the region, joined New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark for their first summit with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The two are due to ink a pact for a historic free trade pact with the region. Negotiations are scheduled to run for two years after which Australia and New Zealand would then be formally linked with the ASEAN trade bloc during the 10 years to 2017.
But Canberra's insistence it would not sign ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) has created a gathering row.
The region's foreign ministers over the weekend urged Australia to sign the pact as a show of good faith to dispel concerns about its threats to carry out pre-emptive strikes on foreign terror bases.
"We think that it's high time that Australia give it serious consideration," Thai foreign ministry spokesman Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters here as the ASEAN summit got underway on Monday.
He said there was little reason for Australia to shy away from the pact, noting that seven countries including ASEAN's key dialogue partners China, Japan and India have signed on to the treaty. South Korea signed it on Saturday and Russia is due to join on Tuesday.
Sihasak however, said the issue was unlikely to evolve into a bargaining chip for Australia's membership in an East Asian trade block being mapped out by ASEAN.
Howard said the TAC was not a treaty that Australia would normally sign because doing so would prevent Canberra from criticizing other member countries over issues such as human rights.
The pact calls for signatories to commit to "non-interference in the internal affairs of one another", a "renunciation of the threat or use of force" and the settlement of disputes by "peaceful means".
ASEAN officials have warned Australia's refusal would result in an imbalance in overall relations with ASEAN.
Earlier Monday, Howard insisted the TAC issue remained separate from the trade deal.
"They are two separate issues so we shouldn't confuse the two and that has been made very clear," he said in Sydney. "In the end it is the substance of the relationships we have with individual countries that really matters." -- AFP