The Daily Telegraph | ASEAN divided as Howard jets in

The Daily Telegraph | ASEAN divided as Howard jets in

ASEAN divided as Howard jets in
By Rob Taylor in Vientiane
November 29, 2004
http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1274&storyid=2308055

SOUTH-EAST Asian nations are divided over whether Australia should have a place at annual trade and security talks as their leaders discussed forming a trade bloc to rival Europe and the United States.

As Prime Minister John Howard jetted into Laos for the first ever talks between the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations and Australia, the Philippines became the latest country to cast doubt on whether Canberra would be welcomed back in Malaysia next year.
A senior Filipino diplomat said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would also add to pressure on Australia to join ASEAN's non-aggression pact as Mr Howard denied that his refusal to sign up would scuttle free trade links with the fast-growing region.
"We think Australia should sign on to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and that's something all the ASEAN leaders will talk about," Sylvia Marasigan said.
She said Mrs Arroyo would raise the issue tomorrow. Thailand's chief foreign spokesman Sihasak Phuangketkeow also said it was "high time" Australia agreed to sign on to the pact given that other nations like India, China, and South Korea had agreed.
Russia was expected to sign on tonight.
Mr Howard said his refusal to sign would not affect the prime mission of his trip to Vientiane - setting up a lucrative free trade pact with ASEAN.
"They're two unrelated issues and in the end it's the substance of the relationship that we have with individual countries that really matters," he said in Sydney before leaving.
Mr Howard, along with New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, is attending the Laos summit as an ASEAN guest this year.
But there seems to be little enthusiasm among its 10 members to fulfill Australian hopes of an annual meeting with Australia and New Zealand.
Indonesian officials have pointedly called the summit invitation a one-off.
The Philippines, a close US ally in the war on terror, also said Australia's guest status reflected only this year's 30th anniversary of relations with ASEAN.
Foreign Minister Alberto G Romulo had "already decided that from our perspective this would be a commemorative summit and would not be repeated", Ms Marasigan said.
Thailand, however, appeared more open to the idea.
"We see the need for more meetings, but whether it is annual is still a question," Phuangketkeow said.
Meanwhile, at a news conference today an ASEAN spokesman announced plans for an East Asian summit in Kuala Lumpur next year.
Phuangketkeow indicated that it was unclear whether Australian would be invited or in the longer term would be accepted as a member of the proposed new grouping.
The possibility of yearly talks with ASEAN took on more importance as ASEAN completed an accord with China to create the world's biggest tariff- free market of nearly two billion people.
Similar free trade areas were planned with Japan, South Korea - and a blueprint for economic cooperation with India was to be signed before the end of the two-day summit tomorrow.
Phuangketkeow said it was still under discussion whether Australia would ever fit into plans for an evolving "east Asia community".
"We don't rule out participation by other countries like New Zealand and Australia," he said.
But accession to the TAC by Australia would not be used as a bargaining chip for trade access, he said.
Australia's decision to not sign the TAC follows irritation among some Asian nations over past comments by Howard that Canberra reserves the right to launch pre-emptive strikes against terrorists in other countries if they threaten Australia or its citizens.
Labor has expressed concern that Mr Howard's refusal to sign the treaty might jeopardise Australia's chances of locking its economy into a market of more than 500 million people.
Ms Clark has said New Zealand, which also wants free trade links, is open to the idea of signing like several other major economic partners of ASEAN.
Seventeen nations have signed the treaty, including all of ASEAN's members - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Security was tight as ASEAN leaders, foreign ministers and delegates arrived at the new Lao International Trade, Exhibition and Convention Centre for their meeting.
Hundreds of young Laotian men and women in colourful traditional clothes lined up along the driveway to the centre.
They waved the flags of ASEAN countries and guest nations such as Australia in a grand welcome parade.
AAP