South Korea signs ASEAN security pact

South Korea signs ASEAN security pact

Agencies, Vientiane/Canberra

South Korea acceded on Saturday to ASEAN's amity and cooperation treaty which Russia will also enter at this year's summit of Southeast Asian leaders being held in Vientiane.

South Korea became the sixth country to accede to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), a loose security pact setting out norms of conduct in the Asian region.

South Korea is one of ASEAN's three main economic partners, with US$11 billion worth of investments in the 10-country grouping that includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

China, India, Japan, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea have acceded to the TAC at previous ASEAN summits and Russia is scheduled to enter the regional security pact on Monday.

"The accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation by seven countries outside the region is a reaffirmation of ASEAN,s continued relevance," said Lao foreign ministry spokesman Vung Chanthalangsy.

Joining the TAC is deemed a stepping stone towards closer relations with ASEAN, an advocate of peaceful co-existence, pursuit of prosperity and non-interference with one another's internal affairs.

"Russia's accession to the TAC on Nov. 29 will provide the framework for future cooperation between ASEAN and Russia," said Vung.

The 10th ASEAN Summit, being held in Vientiane on Monday and Tuesday, is expected to approve a special ASEAN-Russia summit to be held next year.

ASEAN's leaders are also expected to "encourage" Australia and New Zealand to accede to TAC at this year's summit, but Australian Prime Minister John Howard has already indicated his reluctance to do so, citing fears of undermining Australia's military alliance with the U.S.

Australian Prime Minister Alexander Downer reiterated Australia's opposition to signing a non-aggression pact with ASEAN.

"We're not a threat to ASEAN in any shape or form. It's unimaginable that we would be and it's unimaginable that they would be a threat to us," he said on Sunday.

"So its value at best is a symbolic value. It's not going to lead to a sudden change in our security policy or anything like that."

Australia has said the treaty on non-interference in the internal affairs of another country would make it impossible for Australia to criticize such things as human rights issues in Myanmar.

Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile also shrugged off concerns on Sunday that Australia's refusal to sign a nonaggression pact with ASEAN could endanger regional relations.

"We're non jeopardizing anything," Vaile told Ten Network Television.

"There's a great level of trust that exists between the nations in the region now and we've worked very, very hard over the last eight years to strengthen that."

Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Amid Halbar said on Saturday it would be considered "a gesture of goodwill and understanding" if Australia signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda last month said ASEAN nations had strong opinions that Australia should sign the treaty.

Howard recently stressed Australia's determination to strike any terrorist base abroad if there were an immediate threat, voicing the kind of unilateral first-strike military policy that TAC is designed to prevent.

"It's not the sort of treaty that we, being a non-ASEAN country, would normally sign," Howard said of the TAC. "We are more interested in the substance of our relationship with the countries in the ASEAN region."

Australia has in the past complained of its exclusion from the ASEAN process, despite its proximity to the region.

ASEAN holds annual summits with its main East Asian partners - China, Japan and South Korea - but has turned down annual summits with Australia and New Zealand.

However, on Tuesday, ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand will hold a "commemorative" summit to mark their 30th anniversary of relations, but ASEAN has stopped short of turning the summit into an annual affair.

This year's ASEAN Summit will sign more than 20 documents and agreements, many of them with China.