KL continues push for new secretariat in wider ASEAN
KL continues push for new secretariat in wider ASEAN
Jasbant Singh, Associated Press, Bandar Seri Begawan
Malaysia fought off an effort by Singapore and Indonesia to kill its proposal to host a new secretariat for a regional grouping comprising ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea, officials said on Sunday.
The diplomatic battles were fought behind closed doors during two days of meetings by senior officials ahead of this week's meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Malaysia has proposed hosting a secretariat for the evolving relationship between ASEAN and the Northeast Asian powers, known as ASEAN Plus Three, an embryonic version of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's dream of an East Asian union.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Indonesia, which currently hosts the ASEAN secretariat, and Singapore, which has a citizen running the secretariat for the next five years, opposed Malaysia's proposal but were unsuccessful in inserting wording into a draft statement that would have effectively killed it, diplomats said on condition of anonymity.
The statement, which will be submitted to foreign ministers for final approval, pledged "to further strengthen ASEAN Plus Three cooperation."
"In this context, we noted the need to strengthen the ASEAN secretariat in Jakarta and Malaysia's offer to host the ASEAN Plus Three secretariat in Kuala Lumpur," said the draft communique, made available to The Associated Press.
Opponents unsuccessfully sought to insert language stating that the Kuala Lumpur secretariat had been rejected, diplomats said. Singapore and Indonesia said a new secretariat would weaken the existing headquarters in Jakarta.
Singaporean officials were not immediately available for comment.
Singapore's Ong Keng Yong is set to take over as ASEAN secretary general from Philippine diplomat Rodolfo Severino for a five-year term. The draft communique said all 10 foreign ministers endorse him.
An ASEAN diplomat said the inclusion of Malaysia's proposal in the communique would pave the way for detailed discussions on the idea at the summit of ASEAN leaders in Cambodia in November.
ASEAN has been meeting with the Northeast Asian powers since its 30th anniversary summit in 1997. Mahathir, one of Asia's longest-serving leaders, proposed institutionalizing the arrangement several years ago.
The proposal debated this week envisions an ASEAN Plus Three secretariat that would deal only with trade and political ties with China, Japan and South Korea, leaving unchanged the functions of the existing ASEAN headquarters.
Mahathir has long advocated closer integration between East Asian countries to counterbalance the economic and political power of the United States and European Union.
The foreign ministers meeting precedes a conference between ASEAN and 13 other nations with security interests in the Asia- Pacific area. These include the United States, Australia, China, Japan, Russia and the European Union.