Terrorism likely to dominate ASEAN meet

By Amit Baruah

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (BRUNEI), NOV. 4. When Foreign Ministers of the Association of South-East Asian Nation (ASEAN) nations sat down for their annual meeting in Hanoi in July, the word terrorism was absent from their 60-point declaration. There was, however, a reference to transnational crime.

Now, however, all that has changed. Just like at the APEC summit in October, Heads of Government from the ASEAN-10 are set to issue a statement condemning terrorism as they begin their formal two-day deliberations here tomorrow. Plans for a joint statement to be issued by the ASEAN-10 and China, Japan and Korea (ASEAN +3) have apparently been dropped after objections from some countries.

A senior Malaysian official stated that the proposal was dropped because there was no consensus. Apparently, Japan wanted ASEAN +3 to issue an anti-terrorism declaration and was supported by South Korea, Philippines and Thailand. ``We believe that number one, this is an ASEAN summit. So since this is an ASEAN summit, the focus should be on the ASEAN summit statement,'' the official maintained. Of course, the issue of greater economic integration - including possible trade linkages between South-East and North- East Asia - will be on the cards but leaders of ASEAN +3 have their agenda dictated by what happened in the United States and what is now happening in Afghanistan.

As ASEAN nations deliberate on the issue of terrorism, it is clear that there are differences among them. Indonesia and Malaysia have positioned themselves against the American military operations in Afghanistan while other countries like the Philippines and Singapore are open in their support for the U.S. In fact, Indonesia and Malaysia, along with China, were instrumental in ensuring that all kinds of terrorism - wherever, whenever and by whomsoever - were condemned by the larger 21- member APEC forum in Shanghai.

The Philippine President, Ms. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, said recently: ``All the ASEAN countries are in this fight against terrorism...of course, each one gives its contribution in accordance with its own specific constraints at home,'' she said. Ms. Arroyo has correctly analysed the situation. Every country is acting out of its own constraints; Indonesia and Malaysia do not want to displease hardline Islamist elements at home while Manila's constraint is that it wants the U.S. to join the battle against the Abu Sayyaf rebels in the southern island of Mindanao. Apart from keeping their domestic constituencies happy, both Indonesia and Malaysia have real concerns about the continuing killing of civilians in Afghanistan. Fresh, more vigorous protests, may take place in the upcoming month of Ramzan.

In a recent speech, the Singapore Prime Minister, Mr. Goh Chok Tong, said he was glad that ASEAN countries had pledged co- operation to combat terrorism. ``In particular, we must work together to guard against terrorists and extremist elements establishing themselves in our region. The September 11 attacks also represent a new form of terrorism that threatens our security. The fight against it will be long and difficult,'' Mr. Goh said.

The Singapore leader also linked the September 11 attacks to the economic situation. ``...Just when we were beginning to recover from the regional financial crisis (1997- 98), we were hit by the global economic slowdown beginning this year, and now, by the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11.

``Indeed, because of September 11, the global economy is likely to see its most severe deceleration since the 1973 oil crisis. Every country will be affected, including in East Asia. The latest World Bank half-yearly regional update predicts that growth in the East Asia region is likely to fall by 2.7 percentage points in 2001 relative to 2000...'' Mr. Goh added.

Other than the ASEAN leaders, the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Junichiro Koizumi, the South Korean President, Mr. Kim Dae-Jung, and the Chinese Premier, Mr. Zhu Rongji, will be in attendance. In the separate ASEAN-China meeting, the recommendations of a joint study on forging greater economic relations between the regional grouping and China are to be presented. There is also some talk of moving towards an ASEAN- China free trade area.

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