Mahathir supports creation of watchdog

Mahathir supports creation of watchdog

Agence France-Presse, Putrajaya, Malaysia

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has given guarded
support to Indonesia's proposal to create an ASEAN Security
Community (ASC) to combat terrorism.

The veteran Southeast Asian leader told AFP in an exclusive
interview that the proposed ASC must however, exclude defense
pacts and binding security arrangements for the 10-member bloc.

"If it is just to combat terrorism, yes, but security
arrangement like a defense pact and all that, I don't think that
is something that we would like to get involved in," Mahathir
said.

"Because we have different ideas. Some people want to have
some huge fleet guarding us, we believe in being independent."

Indonesia made the proposal last month during a meeting of
foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN).

It said the idea was born from a shift in sovereign priorities
resulting from changes that followed last year's terrorist
bombings in Bali and the September 11, 2001 strikes in the United
States.

The proposed ASC would include centers for combating
terrorism, training in peacekeeping, a center for cooperation in
non-conventional issues and regular ASEAN police and defense
ministers' meetings.

The Philippines has also voiced reservations but the idea of
an ASC generally won popular support in ASEAN and was expected to
please dialogue partners such as the United States and Australia.

The proposal is expected to gain ground over the next year as
Indonesia has now taken over the ASEAN chair from Cambodia.