Severino elected new ASEAN secretary-general
By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat
PETALING JAYA, Malaysia (JP): Ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) concluded their first day of meetings here yesterday by electing Filipino Rodolfo C. Severino as the grouping's new secretary-general replacing Dato' Ajit Singh.
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas told journalists that Severino would begin his new post on Jan. 1, 1998.
Malaysian Ajit Singh ends his five-year term as secretary- general at the end of the year. Severino currently serves as undersecretary of policy for foreign affairs of the Philippines.
The selection was not conducted by open voting. Instead Alatas was assigned to seek out beforehand the position of respective members. Alatas then reported his findings to the meeting, without revealing who supported whom. "Because it would be unethical," he said.
ASEAN comprises Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. This is the first time Laos and Myanmar attended the meeting as full members after being admitted Wednesday.
Indonesian foreign ministry's Director General of Political Affairs Nugroho Wisnumurti said the decision reflected the members' desire that a secretary-general serve only one term.
"We hope a new man will bring new ideas, a new breeze," he said.
When pressed further to reveal details of the vote Nugroho replied: "Well I can't tell you because ASEAN works based on consensus, even though the consensus was achieved through straw polling."
Also attending the two-day 30th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting were Brunei's Foreign Minister Mohamed Bolkiah, Laos' Somsavat Lengsavad, Malaysia's Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Myanmar's U Ohn Gyaw, the Philippine's Domingo Siazon, Singapore's S. Jayakumar, Thailand's Prachuab Chaiyasan and Vietnam's Nguyen Manh Cam.
Present as observers were Cambodian Foreign Minister Ung Huot and special representative from Papua New Guinea Leonard Louma.
Ministers also agreed yesterday to establish an ASEAN Foundation, which will be based in Jakarta.
The foundation's objective will be to deepen and widen ASEAN related activities among people in the region. Activities will be held jointly between ASEAN and the private sector.
"Its aim is to strengthen ties among ASEAN peoples. With programs such as exchanges, seminars and educational programs," Alatas said.
Ministers also discussed preparations for the year-long ASEAN 30th anniversary celebrations which will be kicked-off by President Soeharto at a reception in Jakarta on Aug. 8.
Alatas said that in conjunction with the anniversary, heads of state will present a special citation to the five signatories of the 1967 Bangkok Declaration which formalized the forming of ASEAN.
Today, ministers will tackle equally demanding issues. They include further discussions on Cambodia and a final look at the joint communique which will be released at the end of the meeting later this afternoon.
Alatas said ministers would also confer on the draft statement for the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting which will be held here on Sunday. "There will still be debates about the draft statement," he said.
The ARF is a regional political security forum which brings together ASEAN and its dialog partners.
The ministers meeting was opened yesterday at the posh Sunway Lagoon Resorts Hotel, outside of Kuala Lumpur, by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
With his customary rhetorical flair, Mahathir lauded ASEAN as a collection of good governments to be modeled after.
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