RI leads ASEAN to security

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.