DEVELOPMENTS IN POLITICAL AND SECURITY COOPERATION

The past year saw ASEAN undertaking positive measures and commitments to sustain- the momentum of regional political and security cooperation in Southeast Asia and in the wider Asia-Pacific in general. The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held its inaugural meeting on 25 July 1994 in Bangkok, Thailand. A Chairman's Statement, issued after the meeting by the Foreign Minister of Thailand, stated that "being the first time ever that high- ranking representatives from the majority of the states in the Asia-Pacific region came to specifically discuss political and security cooperation issues, the Meeting was considered a historic event for the region". Furthermore, "the Meeting signified the opening of a new chapter of peace, stability and cooperation for Southeast Asia".

At the Meeting a number of proposals were made for the consideration of the next ARF. The proposals submitted include specific ideas to promote confidence and security building, nuclear non-proliferation, peacekeeping cooperation, exchanges of non-classified military information, maritime security issues, and preventive diplomacy.

ASEAN has continued to exercise leadership in the development of the ARF. The ASEAN Concept Paper on the ARF, which formed the basis of discussions at the ARF SOM, envisaged the development of the ARF in three stages, namely, promotion of Confidence- Building Measures, Development of Preventive Diplomacy Mechanisms, and Development of Conflict-Resolution Mechanisms. The ASEAN Concept Paper agreed that ARE activities would include the annual ARF Ministerial Meetings, the ARF SOM, and inter-sessional activities at official (Track 1) and unofficial (Track 11) levels. The ASEAN Concept Paper also contained two annexes, which identified the inter-sessional activities that could be pursued in the immediate future, and in the medium and long term. The recommendations of ARF SOM have been submitted to the ARF Ministers in the context of the ASEAN Concept Paper.

Following the Fourth ASEAN Summit's decision of 1992 to engage in new areas of cooperation in security matters, the Special Meeting of ASIAN Senior Officials (Special SOMME), a joint body composed of senior officials from Foreign and Defense Ministries of ASEAN Member Countries, met on 5-6 January 1995 in Bangkok, Thailand. It discussed the various issues and proposals submitted at the first ARF. In addition, the Special SOM Working Group on Security Cooperation assessed the on-going bilateral defence cooperation programmes and exchanges among ASEAN Member Counties. The Working Group also agreed to study various security-related international instruments with a view to reaching common ASEAN positions on them. Some of these international instruments include the review of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the United Nations Conventional Arms Registry. The Working Group also agreed to look into the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and its implications for the region.

"The past year saw ASEAN undertaking positive measures and commitments to sustain the momentum of regional political and security cooperation in Southeast Asia and in the wider Asia- Pacific in general"

In realising the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) and a Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ), the ASEAN SOM Working Group on ZOPFAN and SEANWFZ has adopted a "Programme of Action for ZOPFAN" which was endorsed by the 26th AMM in Sigapore in 1993. In November 1994, the Working Group also greed to a "Fourth Revision to the Draft Treaty on SEANWFZ" with the understanding that the unresolved issues be referred to Member Countries for d-referendum agreement. The Meeting also asked the Chairman of the Working Group to approach the nuclear weapon states to assess the degree of support for the Treaty.

The extension of accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia took another step forward with the access-on of Cambodia into the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia on 25 January 1995. Myanmar has also acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and intends to apply for Observer Status. Meanwhile, consultations continued on finding an appropriate modality of association by non-Southeast Asian states to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

On the South China Sea, the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN issued a statement on 18 March 1995 expressing their serious concern over developments which "affect peace and stability in the South China Sea". This statement as issued as a result of recent developments in the Mischief Reef. In their statement the Ministers called the attention of all concerned to remain faithful to the letter, and spirit of the Manila Declaration on the South China Sea of July 1992 which urged the concerned to resolve differences by peaceful means and to refrain, from taking actions that de-stabilize the situation. The Foreign Ministers encouraged all claimants and other countries in Southeast Asia to address the issue in various fora, including the Indonesia-sponsored Workshop Series on Managing Potential Conflicts in the South China Sea. ASEAN also raised this subject during an informal session at the First ASEAN-China Senior Officials Consultations which was held inn Hangzhou, China From 3 to 4 April 1995.

ASEAN continued the process of consultations on political and security issues with the non-official track through, the ASEAN Institutes of Strategic and Intenational Studies (ASEAN-ISIS). During the past year, ASEAN held meetings with representatives of the ASEAN-ISIS in January 1995 in Bangkok and in March 1995 in Jakarta. Some of the subjects covered at these meetings included the concept of comprehensive security, norms and principles for regional political and security cooperation, the possibility of peacekeeping cooperation and confidence-building measures in the Asia-Pacific through the ARF.