RI backs ASEAN expansion this year

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia gave its backing yesterday to the admission of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, saying that all three had fulfilled the technical requirements for membership.

Speaking to journalists at Bina Graha presidential office yesterday, Alatas rejected speculation there were any criteria which could hamper entry.

"Our (Indonesia's) hope is that they will be accepted as full members this year. Indonesia believes all the requirements have been met," Alatas said.

Alatas was speaking after reporting to President Soeharto on his plans to attend a special meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

The meeting in Kuala Lumpur was called to determine the timing of the three prospective members' entry.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar have all applied for membership but the exact timing of their admission remains uncertain. The most likely dates are either during the annual ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in July or the commemorative summit in December. Both events will be held in Kuala Lumpur.

During an informal summit here last year, ASEAN leaders agreed to admit the three simultaneously.

The European Union and the United States have condemned Myanmar for its suppression of the pro-democracy movement and urged ASEAN to delay Yangon's entry.

In the latest clampdown, Myanmar's ruling junta reportedly detained several hundred supporters of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

ASEAN has brushed aside these concerns arguing that it does not interfere in its neighbors' domestic affairs.

Alatas dismissed Western demands to delay Myanmar's membership yesterday, arguing that domestic issues does not impinge on consideration for membership.

"We shall hold firm in our view that we will be the ones who decide the entry of a new member based on the technical criteria which ASEAN agreed to from the beginning.

"ASEAN has its own criteria, its own guidelines for accepting new members and this will be our measure. So Indonesia's position remains the same, this is what we have to hold on to and based on that yardstick we hope a consensus can be reached for the three countries to join ASEAN this year," he said.

In Tokyo Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto yesterday warned that Myanmar's expected entry into ASEAN could be interpreted as a gesture of support for Yangon's military regime.

"We do not want to meddle in the process of eventually giving the green light to ASEAN membership for Burma (Myanmar), Laos and Cambodia," Hashimoto told reporters. "But we would not like Burma's entry to be seen as a pardon for the military regime."

In response to Hashimoto's remarks, Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that membership acceptance was ASEAN's prerogative.

"As far as we are concerned, the decision to admit Myanmar will be entirely ASEAN's decision. I think friends of ASEAN have recognized this point and many countries have said so," Abdullah said in Kuala Lumpur.

"Whatever decision ASEAN is going to make, they will respect the decision because it is a regional matter ... it concerns our own association," he added.

Apart from membership, Saturday's meeting in Kuala Lumpur will also discuss administrative matters such as the creation of a second deputy secretary-general at the ASEAN secretariat, and the adoption of a new flag and logo.

One of the two candidates for the deputy secretary-general post is Indonesian diplomat Roy Inkiriwang who recently returned from a posting in New York. The other candidate is from Thailand. (mds)

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