Eleventh ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, Pattaya, 14-16 June 1978

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Joint Press Release Of The Eleventh ASEAN Ministerial Meeting Pattaya, 14-16 June 1978
The Eleventh -ASEAN Ministerial Meeting was held in Pattaya, Thailand on 14-16 June 1978. The Meeting was formally opened by the Prime Minister of Thailand, H.E. General Kriangsak Chomanan. The Meeting was attended by H.E. Prof. Dr. Mochtar Kusumaatmadja, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia; H.E. Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen, Minister of Foreign of Malaysia; H.E. Carlos P. Romulo, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines; H.E. S. Rajaratnam, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore and H.E. A. Rahim Ishak, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Singapore; and H.E. Dr. Upadit Pachariyangkun, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and H.E. Wongse Polnikorn, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, and their respective delegations. H.E. Umarjadi Njotowijono, the Secretary-General of the ASEAN Secretariat was also in attendance. In his opening address, the Prime Minister of Thailand, H E. General Kriangsak Chomanan, pointed out the need to reflect upon ASEAN's present condition, its future directions and the resources which ASEAN had at its disposal to realize its aspirations. He submitted that having passed an initial period of orientation, ASEAN was now ready to more on to new horizons. The Prime Minister stated that as ASEAN was a unique undertaking in regionalism and a positive contribution to regional peace, it was incumbent upon ASEAN members to ensure that they maintained a coherent and viable entity among themselves otherwise there was little prospect for wider regional endeavours. He also stated that the Thai Government would do all it could to maintain political stability as a contribution to collective ASEAN resilience. He noted with satisfaction that ASEAN was continuing to make positive progress in various fields of cooperation. He referred in particular to the successful implementation of ASEAN Preferential Trading Arrangements and expressed the view that intra-ASEAN trade and economic strength leading to some degree of economic integration would provide a firm basis for the conduct of more meaningful external relations. The Prime Minister also noted that the continuing political cohesiveness of ASEAN member countries enabled it to gain wide international recognition and ASEAN aims and objectives were receiving the support of major powers. With regard to the concept of a Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality, the Thai Prime Minister reiterated Thailand's full commitment towards its realisation as he believed it was capable of yielding benefits to all of the countries in Southeast Asia. The Prime Minister stated that though the primary task of ASEAN at present is to strengthen the fabric of its own cooperation, ASEAN also had to generate better understanding by other regional countries of ASEAN's intentions and the nature of its various projects and activities. He observed with gratification that ASEAN member countries, in an awareness that their futures were linked together, were cooperating in a spirit of mutual trust and confidence. He hoped that ASEAN could bring about a similar spirit and awareness among all Southeast Asian countries. In this connection, he was heartened by the positive and constructive responses of other, regional countries, especially Vietnam, Laos and Kampuchea, to the bilateral contacts being fostered by the ASEAN member countries. In conclusion, the Prime Minister expressed that the 11th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting would contribute significantly to the continuing efforts of ASEAN to give substance to its aims and objectives. The Foreign Ministers reviewed development in the Southeast Asian region and noted with concern the continuing conflict between Vietnam and Kampuchea, as well as the growing tension between the People's Republic of China and Vietnam. They expressed the hope that these problems would be ,solved through peaceful means in the near future by the countries concerned. The Foreign Minister reaffirmed the commitment of ASEAN countries towards the realization of the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality in Southeast Asia. In this connection, they noted with satisfaction the contacts being undertaken between ASEAN member countries and other countries of the region, and agreed that these, contacts be continued. They also agreed that ASEAN countries should continue with efforts to gain the recognition of ZOPFAN. Th Foreign Ministers recalled that the ASEAN Heads of Government at their Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, 4-5 August 1977, had called on the UNHCR and other relevant agencies, to take immediate measures for the expeditious settlement of Indochinese refugees in third countries. They expressed their grave concern that the flow of Indochinese refugees to the ASEAN countries remain unabated and called for the international community to exert more concerted effort towards expeditious resettlement of the refugees in third countries and thereby relieve the heavy burden on ASEAN countries. The Meeting considered and approved the Annual Report of the ASEAN Standing Committee, and noted with satisfaction that during the past year considerable progress has been achieved in the implementation of projects and activities agreed upon by the ASEAN Heads of Government in Bali and Kuala Lumpur in the fields of economic, social and cultural cooperation among the ASEAN countries as well as programmes of cooperation between ASEAN and third countries and international organizations. In the field of economic cooperation, the Meeting commended the ASEAN Economic Ministers for the effective part they have played in accelerating ASEAN cooperation. The Meeting noted in particular that in addition to the 71 items approved for preferential treatment under the ASEAN Preferential Trading Arrangements as of 1 January 1978, the additional 755 items have been approved by the ASEAN economic Ministers at their Sixth Meeting in Jakarta, adding impetus to intra-ASEAN cooperation in trade. The Meeting also welcomed the successful holding of the first ASEAN trade fair in Manila on 7-21 May 1978 which highlighted the trade and investment possibilities in ASEAN. The Meeting urged the holding of similar trade fairs in the ASEAN region in the near future. The Meeting further noted that the ASEAN Economic Ministers had also approved the Basic Agreement on ASEAN Industrial Projects and the Supplementary Agreements for the ASEAN Urea Project (Indonesia) and the ASEAN Urea Project (Malaysia), which will be signed by the respective Foreign Ministers after the necessary constitutional procedures have been completed. Acknowledging the achievements in the fields of transport and communications and in particular the program for the establishment the ASEAN Submarine Cable Network which is planned to link all the ASEAN counties by. 1982, the Meeting expressed satisfaction that the first segment of this network, between the Philippines and Singapore, would be inaugurated in August 1978. The Meting also welcomed the proposed setting up of the ASEAN-Regional Satellite System. The Meeting noted the agreement reached by the ASEAN Economic Ministers on the establishment of regionally coordinated national reserves for rice in ASEAN countries and noted that this was a positive step towards the long-range stabilization of food supplies in the region and throughout the world. The Meeting noted with that the Committee on Science and Technology and the Committee on Social Development have been formally established and that the projects and activities of the former Permanent Committees on Socio-Cultural Activities and Science and Technology were transferred to the new Committees. The Meeting commended the various activities in the cultural field held in the past year such as the holding of the literary awards competition and the logo design competition. The Meeting urged that similar activities be undertaken so as to concretize the Association's objective of fostering an ASEAN identity. The Foreign Ministers agreed to establish an ASEAN Cultural Fund for the promotion of cultural development in the region. The Meeting noted the con! able progress which had taken place in the field of education cooperation. It welcomed in particular the setting up of the ASEAN Network of Development Education Centers and the implementation of the five education projects under this network. The Meeting noted with satisfaction the various steps taken in the implementation of the population programme for ASEAN. The Meeting noted with satisfaction that the newly establishment Social Development Committee will be evolving an integrated strategy for social development for ASEAN, based on the new Committee's objectives and terms of reference. The Meeting welcomed the decision of the ASEAN Ministers of Labour to focus efforts on human resources development as a contribution to the welfare of mankind, particularly on the betterment of the standard of life for the working man engage in economic activities in the traditional rural sector and in the informal urban sector to the basic needs of human life. The Meeting urged that high priority be given to these programmes. The Foreign Ministers noted that ASEAN countries have been actively involved in the deliberations on several on-going issues of interest to ASEAN in the various international fora where ASEAN representatives have worked closely together in common endeavours to contribute to the establishment of new International Economic Order. In this connection, the Meeting reviewed developments in the various UN fora ,relating to the Integrated Programme for Commodities and the Common Fund, and stressed the importance of commodities in the trade and economic life of the ASEAN countries as well as the urgency of finding solutions to the problems involved. The Foreign Ministers expressed disappointment and concern at the tardiness in the establishment of the Common Fund, to which the international community as a whole has given its commitment, as well as the lack of progress in the preparation for negotiations on the individual commodities. They reaffirmed ASEAN's unreserved support of the position of the group of 77 on the basic elements of the Fund, and its determination to work for an early resumption of the Negotiating Conference on the Common Fund and its successful conclusion. The Foreign Ministers urged the international community to renew its efforts towards realizing an early result on the Common Fund as a key instrument in attaining the greed objections of the IPC and further urged Governments to move decisively towards appropriate action on the individual commodities under the IPC. The Meeting took note of the consultations which ASEAN has had with various negotiating partners especially the US, the EEC and Japan within the framework of the Multilateral Trade Negotiations. Noting that the MTN has now reached a crucial stage, the Foreign Ministers urged these countries to improve their offers with a view to achieving concrete and meaningful results of the negotiations in accordance with the principles of the Tokyo Declaration which, among other things, stated that additional benefits, be provided for the developing countries including ASEAN. The Foreign Ministers reiterated their concern over the growing tendency towards protectionism in the field of international trade and urged the developed countries to take the necessary steps to improve their trade relation, with ASEAN. The Meeting announced that the Second ASEAN-United States Dialogue shall be held at Ministerial level in Washington, DC on 3-4 August 1978. The Meeting agreed on the desirability of convening a Ministerial Meeting between ASEAN and the European Economic Community on 20 November 1978. The Foreign Ministers welcomed the intention of the EEC and the United States to cooperate with ASEAN in further promoting the any common interests that ASEAN shares with these two Dialogue partners. They also welcomed the interest shown by the EEC and the United States in supporting the growth and development of ASEAN as a viable and dynamic regional grouping of developing nations. In reviewing progress on ASEAN cooperative relations with other developed countries, namely, Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand, and international organizations, the Foreign Ministers noted with satisfaction that encouraging results have been achieved in many areas. It noted, in particular, the offer of the Australian Government to host the First ASEAN Australia Industrial Conference in Sydney on 19-21 June 1978 and the offer of the EC Commission to assist in the holding of the Second ASEAN-EEC Industrial Conference in Jakarta in February 1979. The Meeting believed these efforts would contribute to the increased flow of investment into the region. The Foreign Ministers noted that approaches have been made by developing countries and regional grouping to establish dialogues with ASEAN and agreed to give appropriate consideration to the matter. The Meeting announced the appointment of Datuk Ali bin Abdullah of Malaysia as the new Secretary General of the ASEAN Secretariat, His tenure of office will commence on 1 July 1978. The Meeting expressed its appreciation to the outgoing ASEAN Secretary-General, Mr. Umarjadi Njotowijono for his fine work on behalf of ASEAN. H.E. Ebia Olewale, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Papua New Guinea and his delegation were present at the open sessions as observers to the Eleventh ASEAN Ministerial Meeting. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Papua New Guinea and his delegation were guests of the Thai Government. The Twelfth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting will be held in Indonesia in 1979. The delegations of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore expressed their appreciation to the people and Government of Thailand for the warm and generous hospitality accorded to them and for the excellent facilities provided and efficient arrangements made for the Eleventh ASEAN Ministerial Meeting. The Meeting was held in the traditional spirit of ASEAN solidarity and friendship.