Fresh talks spur further ASEAN cooperation

ASEAN forum to adopt plans to make group more responsive

by  DARIO AGNOTE
Kyodo News

SINGAPORE — The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is set to adopt a raft of measures to get member-countries to work together in dealing with common security challenges when it gathers here for its annual meeting this week.

The fresh measures are meant to put decision-making on a fast track and foster ”concrete and practical cooperation” among the 27 members of ARF, the Asia-Pacific region’s premier multilateral security organization, according to official documents.

The innovations are hoped to make ARF more relevant and responsive to new global challenges, a discussion paper circulated by Singapore, the chair of this year’s meeting, says.

”ARF member countries should consider how to reinvigorate the ARF in the dynamic regional security environment in which it operates,” says the paper, adding that the grouping has to develop a clearer vision that will guide its future direction up to the year 2020.

A concept paper issued in 1995 envisioned ARF moving gradually through three stages: confidence-building measures, preventive diplomacy and, eventually, conflict resolution.

Deeper activities

The latest paper stresses the need to advance towards preventive diplomacy ”in a phased and prudent manner” while continuing with confidence-building measures, and for its members to engage in deeper regional cooperative activities.

”The ARF participants should consider the merits of the ARF developing institutional features like the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization so as to make it more effective,” it says.

The ARF, whose core members include the 10 ASEAN countries and the United States, was established in 1994 after the end of the Cold War to promote dialogue and cooperation on security.

But while dialogue among member-countries has been robust and sometimes fiery, cooperation between and among its members has been variable.

Some countries with long-standing defense and security ties like the Philippines, the United States, Singapore and Japan have had no trouble working together in foiling terror plots and sharing intelligence reports. But practical cooperation is often still saddled with lingering, deep distrust.

Some ARF members have ”privately lamented” that the ARF is slow in making decisions, making it ”not responsive to fluid developments in the real world.”

”There are no clear provisions on how the ARF could quickly respond to an urgent situation or crisis,” the paper says, adding this problem has caused ”funding problems as some countries must synch this slow decision-making process to their fiscal cycles.”

The assessment paper has identified at least six ”problems” saddling the regional security grouping today that need to be confronted head-on, including its ”lack of concrete and practical cooperation,” its ”slow decision-making” process and lack of focus.

For instance, it notes that proposals for ARF activities are often put forward as early as October or November, but are not implemented until approved by the ARF in July or August of the subsequent year.

”The ARF requires more concrete and practical cooperation projects based on the collective needs identified in the ARF process,” says the paper, stressing the need for the ARF to focus on issues like counter-terrorism, transnational crime, disaster relief, non-proliferation and disarmament, maritime security and peacekeeping.

”Special expertise (in these areas) is necessary,” it notes.

ARF expansion

On the expansion of the ARF, the paper stresses the need ”to develop innovative ways and means to enhance its relevance to all its participants.”

It says ARF must maintain the so-called ”flexible moratorium” in dealing with countries who have outstanding applications like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and Afghanistan.

”The expansion of ARF from 18 to 27 participants over the years has led some countries to complain that the forum has become too unwieldy, and that the dynamics have been affected with discussions becoming less informal and interactive,” the paper says.

”However, some countries suggested that we should look into the creation of observer-status for those countries interested in ARF activities, and that the ARF unit should look into this possibility,” it says.

On the increasing number of ARF meetings, the paper has voiced concern that some smaller countries are unable to attend every single meeting.

To be relevant, the paper says ARF needs to further study these measures and implement those which are ”suitable and appropriate” to the region.

Strengthen ASEAN and non-ASEAN

To ensure that ARF remains as the premier regional security institution, the paper stresses the need to strengthen both ASEAN and non-ASEAN participants’ role in the ARF process.

‘Although ASEAN has undertaken the obligation to be the ‘primary driving force’ of the ARF, a successful ARF required the active participation, support and cooperation of all participants. ASEAN must always be sensitive to and take into account the interests and concerns of all ARF participants,” it says.

”In this regard, some ARF countries need the support of better-endowed ARF participants, especially funding and convening meetings where possible in ASEAN countries,” it says.

The ARF comprises the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam — plus Australia, Canada, the European Union, New Zealand, the United States, Russia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, Pakistan, North Korea, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Japan, China, and India.

Source: ABS-CBN News Online, http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=125901, July 22, 2008