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.