Mochtar to get ASEAN Award

JAKARTA (JP): Former minister of foreign affairs Mochtar Kusumaatmadja will be a recipient of the ASEAN Award presented on Tuesday for contributions toward the promotion and development of regional cooperation.

A release from the secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said on Monday that Mochtar, also the minister of justice from 1974 to 1978, would receive the award in Hanoi at a dinner hosted by Vietnam Prime Minister Phan Van Khai for ASEAN leaders. The leaders are attending the sixth ASEAN Summit there.

The award is also presented to organizations, and this year the Southeast Asian Minister of Education Organization Regional Language Center will be the recipient.

Mochtar, 69, was praised for his role in the development of the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality, which led to the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty in 1995. He was also credited for his expertise and experience in maritime law, which "helped diminish the danger of territorial and maritime disputes". (anr)