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Disarmament DocumentationBack to Disarmament Documentation, July 2002 ASEAN & ASEAN Regional Forum Meetings, July 29-31Note: the ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) consists of all ASEAN members plus Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia and the United States. I. 35th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, July 29-30'Responding to Challenges: Securing A Better Future', Joint Communiqué, 35th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM), Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, July 30; ASEAN website, http://www.aseansec.org/print.asp?file=/newdata/2.htm. 1. We, the Foreign Ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), met in Bandar Seri Begawan to review regional and international political and economic developments, bearing in mind our resolve, to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by globalization and address the new security concerns raised by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. These were among the important factors in the evolving situation that underlined the urgency for ASEAN to respond. ... 3. We are fully committed to strengthening our bilateral, regional and international cooperation to counter terrorism in a comprehensive manner and to make Southeast Asia a safer place for all as reflected in the 7th ASEAN Summit Declaration [November 2001] on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism. We believe this would ensure peace, stability and security in our efforts to achieve greater development, progress and prosperity in ASEAN. ... 39. We welcomed the on-going consultations between ASEAN and the nuclear-weapon states (NWS) on the Protocol of Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty and urged the NWS to sign the Protocol of the Treaty as soon as possible. ... 48. We considered peace and stability in South Asia as important to the whole region and beyond. We expressed the hope that India and Pakistan would take all necessary steps to defuse tension. We called on both countries to resume immediate dialogue, strengthen their cooperation and resolve their differences through peaceful means to restore and maintain peace and stability. ... 51. In view of the United States withdrawal from the 1972 ABM Treaty, we welcomed the signing of the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions between the Russian Federation and the United States on May 24, 2002, bearing in mind the importance of this Treaty as a contribution to the maintenance of strategic balance, world peace and long-term international security. We further called for the nuclear weapons states to continue dialogue to look for new ideas and approaches to address the issue of nuclear disarmament. II. 9th Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, July 31'Chairman's Statement: Ninth Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, Bandar Seri Begawan, July 31, 2002', statement delivered by His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei Darussalam; ASEAN website, http://www.aseansec.org/print.asp?file=/newdata/4.htm. 2. The Meeting was attended by the Foreign Ministers of ARF participating countries or their representatives. ... 3. A meeting among defence and military officials attending the 9th ARF was also held on 30 July 2002. ... 7. In recalling the decision of the 8th ARF in July 2001, on the adoption of the paper on the "Enhanced Role of the ARF Chair", the Ministers welcomed Brunei Darussalam's good offices and co-ordination role in between ARF meetings, particularly, in issuing a statement on behalf of ARF participants on the tragic events of September 11, 2001 in the United States and facilitating the immediate convening of two workshops on "Financial Measures against Terrorism" and "Prevention of Terrorism" this year. ... 9. The Ministers recalled the adoption of the "Paper on Concept and Principles of Preventive Diplomacy [PD]" as a snapshot of the state of current discussion on PD at the 8th ARF in July 2001 and regarded it as a major achievement in the evolution of the ARF. They noted deliberations on PD by officials and looked forward to further progress in future discussions. ... 12. In assessing regional and international security developments, the Ministers believed that the terrorist acts of September 11, 001 in the United States had a tremendous impact on the overall security environment. The Ministers recalled the Statement of October 2001 issued by the ARF Chair on behalf of ARF participants and emphasised the need for the ARF to find ways and means to cooperate further in the fight against terrorism. In this regard, they recognised the importance of adding value to the collective and concerted global campaign against terrorism. The Ministers reaffirmed the principles outlined in the relevant UNSC Resolutions related to the Prevention and Suppression of Terrorist Acts and expressed satisfaction that all participants had submitted their reports in compliance with UNSC Resolution 1373. They encouraged early accession to or ratification of relevant international Conventions and Protocols relating to terrorism. ... 19. The Ministers expressed concern over the recent naval clash in the Yellow Sea/West Sea which had heightened tensions in the Korean Peninsula. They noted, however, the latest moves towards the easing of tensions and the resumption of dialogue. They stressed the need to ensure the prevention of the recurrence of such an incident in the future and underlined the importance of promoting Confidence Building Measures. The Ministers expressed the hope that genuine progress would be made for the mutual confidence building between North and South Korea and the enhancement of North and South reconciliation and cooperation. In that regard, they highlighted the importance of the smooth implementation of the 15 June North-South Joint Declaration and the follow-up measures agreed upon during the visit to Pyongyang by the Presidential Envoy of the ROK [Republic of Korea] last April. They also emphasized the importance of the holding of a second Inter-Korean Summit. The Ministers reiterated the importance of the full implementation of the 1994 Agreed Framework including the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organisation (KEDO) project. The Ministers hoped that prospects for dialogue between the DPRK and the United States would improve. ... 24. The Ministers noted the on-going consultations between ASEAN and the nuclear-weapon states regarding the latter's signing to the Protocol of the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ). The Ministers reiterated their support to the P5 Joint Statement concerning security assurances for Mongolia and to its nuclear-free status. ... 27. The Ministers exchanged views on the situation in South Asia and recognised the close link between peace, security and stability in the region and in the rest of the world and noted recent efforts in easing tension between India and Pakistan. The Ministers further called for an immediate end to all terrorist activities in the region as an essential step to de-escalate the situation. While welcoming its commitment to counter terrorism, Ministers earnestly looked to Pakistan to take urgent further steps to implement it. This would constitute an important step towards resumption of dialogue, strengthening of cooperation and resolution of differences through peaceful means to promote regional and international security and stability. ... 30. The Ministers noted that preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery directly engages the region's fundamental security interests. Ministers further noted that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 underlined the importance of participants renewing and fulfilling their individual and collective commitments to multilateral cooperation in the field of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. In the area of conventional arms control, Ministers noted the importance of efforts by ARF participants to implement the UN Program of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects such as the regional seminar jointly sponsored by the Philippines and Canada in Manila on July 9-10, 2002. 31. The Ministers noted with satisfaction that preparations were underway for the 2005 Review Conference of the States Parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) with the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2005 Review Conference held in New York from April 8-19, 2002. The Ministers reaffirmed that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty remained the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament. They regarded that preserving and strengthening the NPT would be vital to peace and security. They noted the calls at the Preparatory Committee for States to accede to the NPT, the comprehensive safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and to the Additional Protocol to NPT Safeguards Agreement. 32. The Ministers acknowledged that states at the CTBT Conference on November 11-13, 2001 in New York had renewed the commitment to work towards universal ratification of the Treaty and its early entry into force. The Ministers reaffirmed the importance for all states to maintain the existing moratorium on nuclear testing and reiterated the call for all states to work towards the objective of total elimination of nuclear weapons. 33. The Ministers expressed the hope that the reconvened session of the 5th BTWC Review Conference to be held in November 2002 would make progress in efforts to strengthen the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), especially by agreeing to hold annual meetings of State Parties. They also underlined the importance of ensuring that the First Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in April/May 2003 is a success. They recognised the importance of promoting universality of the CWC and BWC. ... 44. The Ministers welcomed the enhanced role of the chair in particular assigning the ASEAN Secretariat to assist the ARF Chairman in coordinating the work of the ARF and in this connection, recalled the roles recommended by the ISG on CBMs [Inter-sessional Support Group on Confidence-Building Measures]. They noted that some of these roles have been carried out and encouraged further implementation. Ministers noted other recommendations contained in the initial Brunei Darussalam paper circulated on May 5, 2002 and a number of participants were of the view that these could be considered in the future. These included an Inter-sessional Group on Weapons of Mass Destruction, an Inter-sessional Group on Preventive Diplomacy and establishment of an early-warning system. 45. While, the ARF process should further consolidate and broaden its work in confidence building measures to promote trust, understanding and cooperation among ARF participants, the Ministers also recognised the importance of making further progress on PD. The Ministers underlined the ARF's work in tackling terrorism represented a milestone in the ARF's development of a preventive role. 46. On the expansion of the ARF, Ministers noted...that Pakistan had renewed its application to join the ARF. They welcomed the suggestion that the expansion of the ARF be kept under review. © 2002 The Acronym Institute. |