RI leads ASEAN to security

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Phnom Penh

Assuming the chairmanship of ASEAN on Tuesday, Indonesia took steps for the Southeast Asian grouping to initiate a regional security community to combat terrorism and a joint effort to seek the release of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar.

In a two-day meeting, the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) cautiously welcomed the Indonesian proposal to create an ASEAN Security Community (ASC).

Speaking at the close of the ministerial meeting, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said the ASC was meant to provide a sense of purpose for the organization and maintain its relevance in the current global politics.

"ASEAN needs to discuss thoroughly the significance of the political road leading to an ASEAN Security Community that will ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the region," Hassan stressed.

Jakarta outlined the ASC in a position paper here on Monday.

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

Philippine foreign minister Blas Ople said he held some reservations while other members of ASEAN would want reassurances that it did not hark back to past treaties, such as the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO) which split regional neighbors.

"This may be misunderstood by other powers. I told them about the ghost of SEATO," Ople was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying.

Indonesia, and also Thailand, nevertheless, stressed during the talks among foreign ministers here that an ASC would not serve as a defense pact.

The two countries said it would not be similar to SEATO nor the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but merely sought to promote closer political and security cooperation among members of ASEAN.

However, Ople said he was not sure how China would receive such a proposal.

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.

But diplomats stressed that more work was needed and the realization of an ASC would be developed along with the cherished dream of full Southeast Asian economic integration.

Aside from the ASC, this year's ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting also focused on how to persuade the military junta in Myanmar to release Suu Kyi.

Ministers held heated discussions on, and with, Myanmar behind closed doors this week and some voiced concern that Myanmar's tough actions to curb dissent were hurting the reputation of the entire group.

Hassan Wirayuda, according to Ople, initiated an idea for ASEAN to send a ministerial mission to Myanmar, which was then welcomed by other ministers.

"There is no formal approval yet, but it was supported by all the foreign ministers," Ople told Reuters on the sidelines of the an ASEAN meeting here.

Officials said Hassan was expected to use Indonesia's leadership of ASEAN to push for more pressure on Myanmar's military rulers, whose detention of Suu Kyi and reluctance to move towards democratic change is starting to embarrass other members of the 10-nation group.

In a joint statement released at the conclusion of the talks, ASEAN ministers "looked forward to the early lifting of restrictions placed on San Suu Kyi and the NLD (National League for Democracy) members" arrested following violence in the country's north last month.

The meeting, however, delayed approval of a Filipino proposal calling for a multilateral mechanism to resolve the North Korean crisis. The proposal will now be debated during a meeting with ASEAN dialogue partners at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) starting Wednesday.

Aside from North Korea, the idea of an ASC and ASEAN's common stance on Myanmar is expected to please ASEAN's allies like the United States and Australia.