Asean vows to stand firm versus protectionism

CHA-AM, Thailand – Southeast Asian leaders vowed yesterday to stand firm against protectionism and knit the diverse region into a European Union-style community by 2015 despite the global economic crisis.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in a statement released at the conclusion of its 14th annual summit, also called for “bold and urgent reform of the international financial system” that would take into account the needs of developing nations.

The summit delegates grappled with the region’s economic woes in the face of the global crisis but also aimed to highlight ASEAN’s championship of human rights. Instead, the issue suffered a setback when military-ruled Myanmar and Cambodia refused to talk to two pro-democracy activists.

The statement said the leaders “reaffirmed their commitment to implement measures adopted in the ASEAN Economic Blueprint,” which calls for economic and some political and security integration by 2015, adding that the scope for regional cooperation must be expanded.

ASEAN’s goal of forming a single market mainly involves lifting trade barriers but not, at this point, adopting a common currency.

“They agreed to stand firm against protectionism and to refrain from introducing and raising new barriers,” the statement said.

Trade Secretary Peter Favila told The Associated Press there was reluctance to push ahead with the goal to drop all trade barriers by 2015.

“Some ministers during unofficial discussions on the sidelines were saying that in the light of the global meltdown of course the local industries were affected,” he said.

“But those are just sentiments. You know everybody has to follow the leaders’ instructions: Do it by 2015.”

Summit delegates also worked on the formation of a human rights body, but critics noted that the body, expected to begin functioning later this year, would lack power to punish violators such as Myanmar with expulsion or sanctions.

ASEAN has followed a policy of so-called “engagement” with Myanmar and noninterference in its internal affairs.

Saturday’s incident - when leaders from Cambodia and Myanmar threatened to walk out rather than meet pro-democracy activists invited to the talks - proved a ready-made example of ASEAN’s impotence in regulating human rights.

Calling it “unfortunate,” US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scot Marciel noted that nobody has yet come forth with a strategy to reform Myanmar’s entrenched military regime.

“The sanctions based approach hasn’t worked, the ASEAN engagement approach hasn’t worked,” Marciel said, reiterating recent comments by Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state.

“The fact is there isn’t any obvious way ahead.”

“The military regime of Burma is the one who has been sabotaging ASEAN ever since they joined ASEAN in 1997,” said Debbie Stothard with the human rights group ALTSEAN-Burma.

The summit is the first since the group signed a landmark charter in December, making ASEAN a legal entity and moving it a step closer to its goal of integration.

The charter also calls for adherence to basic freedoms and human rights.

“For Myanmar, we continue to hope that because of the ASEAN charter and the forthcoming ASEAN human rights body that among other things they immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said, referring to Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader who has been in detention for most of the last 19 years.

ASEAN’s 10 members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

ASEAN, which encompasses a region of more than 500 million people, includes two communist regimes, two constitutional monarchies, a military dictatorship and fledgling democracies.   

Coordinated action

Leaders called for “coordinated action” and reforms in the international financial system to allow the region to confront the global economic crisis,

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, who accompanied President Arroyo to the summit, said.

ASEAN leaders also took more steps towards the full integration of the region.

“I think the global economic crisis has hastened efforts for integration. If there have been reservations in the past of becoming one economic community, this (crisis) became an opportunity to speed up the integration,” Remonde said.

He said the summit also put in place new initiatives, some of which were originally pushed by Mrs. Arroyo, who arrived in Manila yesterday afternoon.

Among the notable proposals the President presented at the summit, Remonde said, were the creation of a $120 billion equity fund, which ASEAN member-countries could tap into to address liquidity problems they may experience due to the global crisis.

Her other proposals were to expand Philippine fishing grounds and the implementation of a roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) nautical highway type of transport system in ASEAN sub-group of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), he said.

Remonde said the BIMP-EAGA adoption of the President’s proposals was “a significant breakthrough in the sub-region’s vision to adopt a common Asean economic community.”

The creation of a fishing consortium will, in effect, lead to the expansion of the Philippines fishing grounds within the BIMP-EAGA region, he said.

He said it would greatly boost the Philippine fishing sector, particularly the tuna industry, and lead to a sharp increase in income for Filipino fishermen since they would be allowed to fish way beyond the Philippine territorial boundaries.

On the other hand, the adoption by the BIMP-EAGA countries of the Roll-On, Roll-Off Nautical Highway will enable them to further enhance the seamless flow of goods and services within their respective territories.

“In the Philippines, the Ro-Ro system is part of the Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH)—an efficient mix of roads and seaports that the various business sectors utilize to transport their goods and services at much lesser cost than air transport,” a Palace statement on the ASEAN summit said.

Another welcome development, he said, was the formation of the ASEAN Retail Chain which will showcase the cultural products of member nations as produced by their respective micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

The retail chain, he said, hopes “to provide a venue to display ASEAN products and be a cultural center for Asean.”

It is “also meant to facilitate (the trade) of ASEAN products” as the region’s “response to the current economic crisis.”

Resumption of peace talks

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has assured President Arroyo of Malaysia’s continued support for the resumption of peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said yesterday.

Gonzales said Mrs. Arroyo sought Malaysia’s support for the resumption of the stalled talks during the bilateral meeting between the two leaders at the sidelines of the 14th ASEAN summit.

“The President sought Malaysia’s continued support for the peace talks because she wants to immediately resume talks (with the MILF) so she asked if he (Badawi) could take steps to enable both panels to meet,” Gonzales said.

He said the Malaysian Prime Minister responded favorably to the President’s request.

“Badawi said Malaysia is always ready to help so they will help. They will try to facilitate (the resumption of peace talks). They will help in making sure the two panels will meet,” he said.

He said no timetable was set for the resumption of the peace talks, but “I am assuming (it will be done) as soon as possible.”

Joining Mrs. Arroyo during the bilateral talks with Badawi were Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, Undersecretary and chief negotiator Rafael Seguis, and Gonzales.

Badawi was accompanied by Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim and Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi.

Talks between the government and the MILF collapsed in August last year after both sides failed to sign the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

The collapse triggered deadly clashes between both sides. – Paolo Romero, AP