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DESPITE
international criticism of its policy of
noninterference, the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (Asean) has satisfactorily maintained regional
peace and order in the last 41 years, according to
Senate foreign relations chairman Miriam Santiago.
She said
the regional bloc’s apparent weakness—a very restrictive
sense of respect for the national affairs of its
members—has also been its strength, helping it prevent
irritants among members from escalating into major wars
with its policy of nonconfrontational and informal
talks.
Santiago, a Philippine candidate for the International
Court of Justice, was the keynote speaker at the 41st
founding anniversary of the Asean Friday at the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Key diplomats from
Asean member-countries attended the event.
She said
key treaties promoting regional security have been
signed by Asean members, and enhanced peace and
stability, particularly the 2002 Declaration on the
Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea. The DOC
has been able to prevent aggressive conduct and military
activities in the disputed Spratly Islands, which is
being claimed in full and in part by countries like the
Philippines, China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Santiago
noted that even non-Asean members have acceded to the
peace treaties, like the recent accession of North Korea
in the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), which
seeks to prevent members of Asean and signatories to TAC
from launching aggressive actions against each other.
Other
relevant peace treaties are the 1971 Declaration on
Zone, Peace, Freedom and Neutrality and the 1995 Treaty
on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone.
“These
peace treaties are very important, because we have to
befriend our neighbors in the Asian region so that we
can continuously enjoy peace and order,” said Santiago.
“If we invest now in these peace treaties, we will also
benefit from their peace dividends in the future.”
Santiago
said since the new Bali Concord II of 2003 that seeks
the cooperation of Asean members in fighting terrorism,
the regional bloc has transformed into a community that
is now gearing toward establishing a single-market
economy and adopting a binding charter with human-
rights body.
“From a
fledgling organization whose death was foretold by its
critics on the day it was born, Asean is now at the
crossroads of transforming itself as a rules-based and
economically integrated regional organization, ready to
face the challenges of the 21st century and beyond,”
said Santiago.
“It is
still far from approximating the level of the European
Union, but it is headed toward that direction.”
The
Senate foreign relations chief also said Asean’s goal to
establish a single-market economy by 2015 will help its
members engage the global economy and cope with the
harsh realities of globalization.
Asean
groups the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore,
Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, Malaysia and
Burma/Myanmar. |
