Malaysia to propose ASEAN defense ministers meeting

Malaysia to propose ASEAN defense ministers meeting

Agencies, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia is calling on Southeast Asian defense ministers to meet
next year for the first time to discuss regional security, news
reports said on Sunday.

"The time has come for us to also discuss defense issues and
not just foreign or economic policies," the Mingguan Malaysia
newspaper quoted Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar as
saying.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations has never
held a meeting of defense ministers due to its policy of not
interfering in each other's internal affairs.

However, Syed Hamid said discussing security issues would not
violate that principle.

"It also does not go against the ASEAN Cooperation Agreement
and is in line with the United Nations Charter," the paper quoted
him as saying.

Syed Hamid reiterated his statement on Friday that ASEAN
countries should be open with each other in discussing internal
security problems, since they could affect other countries in the
region, the national news agency Bernama said.

"We are of the view that whether we like it or not, an
incident (in one country) has spillover effects," he said.
"Therefore, we cannot close our ears and eyes and take the don't-
want-to-know attitude."

Syed Hamid did not elaborate on the kind of openness Malaysia
would like to see in discussions on security, but he has
previously said that ASEAN members should share intelligence and
crack down on extremist groups deemed to be a cross-border
threat.

Southeast Asia faces security threats from militant groups
such as the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah and the Philippines-
based Abu Sayyaf, which have been accused of carrying out
bombings, kidnappings and other attacks in the region.

Malaysia, meanwhile, is concerned about violence in
neighboring Thailand, whose southern provinces are in the grip of
an Islamic insurgency.

Mingguan Malaysia said Syed Hamid proposed that the defense
ministers meet next year in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian officials
could not be reached on Sunday for comment.

The minister also said Malaysia had proposed a separate
meeting of defense ministers at the ASEAN Regional Forum level,
which encompasses ASEAN and 15 dialogue partners, including the
United States, India, Japan and China.

A meeting of ARF foreign ministers in July concluded its
annual round of talks by pledging to step up intelligence sharing
on terrorism.