Asean to tackle US, Russia as EAS participants

(Updated 1:35 p.m.) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will decide on the entry of US and Russia into the East Asian Summit (EAS) that tackles the region's political and security engagements with China, Japan, and South Korea. The 17th Asean Summit and Related Summits this Oct. 28-30 will also take on the Philippine proposal on the Asean Connectivity Master Plan to establish the region as a hub for tourism, transportation, and information and communications technology or ICT, the association said in a statement this weekend. With US and Russia joining the summit, Asean will gain leverage to pressure North Korea — a member of the Asean Regional Forum — on its nuclear ambitions. US engagement with Asean also strengthens its influence in pressuring Myanmar — a core member of the bloc — to end human rights violations. "The region’s Heads of State/Government will also meet their counterparts from the Dialogue Partners countries to review and set out future directions for further cooperation," the Asean said in the statement. In "the second and final Summit this year, one of the main agenda is the planned participation of Russia and the United States in the ASEAN-initiated East Asia Summit (EAS)," according to the statement. Nuclear-free stance Asean foreign ministers in July recommended that US and Russia join the Asean-led EAS that include the 10 Asean members and the dialogue partners Australia, China, South Korea, Japan, India, and New Zealand. At the Vietnam summit, the Philippines — a staunch US ally — will try to elicit the support of Asean members in ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty of the United Nations. Manila held the presidency of the United Nations Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May. Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said that President Aquino, who is attending the 17th Asean summit, will underscore the importance of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty and pursue more actions to strengthen it, as well as encourage nuclear weapons states to accede to the SEANWFZ Protocol as soon as possible. "The country’s participation in the ASEAN Summit also aims to seek support and work together with ASEAN countries and its dialogue partners in addressing challenges to address poverty, promote trade and investment, and create employment opportunities for the region’s peoples," Romulo said in a separate statement this weekend. He said President Aquino is expected to push for the country’s interests economic cooperation, political and security cooperation, food and energy security, human rights and disaster management. The Philippines meanwhile will push for the implementation of the Asean connectivity. Romulo said the Master Plan on Asean Connectivity, crafted by a group of visionaries this year, will be submitted to the ASEAN Leaders at the Summit. The Philippine initiative to establish an intra regional Roll-on/Roll-off (RO-RO) Network that connects archipelagic countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines with neighboring Asean nations is part of the Asean connectivity concept. "The country will continue to push for the development of a nautical highway by seeking support for this initiative crucial to the economic growth and prosperity of the country, as well as call for the focused development and updating of power grid and gas pipeline projects for energy security and the use of ICT to facilitate connectivity as this is the fastest and most efficient medium of connecting Asean," Romulo said. Asean connectivity Asean connectivity is being pushed in line with plans to establish a single market by 2015 to facilitate trade and investments in the region. On the disputed Spratly islands in South China Sea, Asean leaders are moving to come up with a treaty designed to ease military and political tensions among nations claiming territorial rights over the Spratlys. Asean and China signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in November 2002. But the DOC was non-binding and the pressing urge to explore for oil and gas in the disputed area remain an imminent threat to regional security as China grapples with its increasing requirements for oil to sustain its economy. The Philippines, according to Romulo, "aspires to transform this area into a zone of peace, friendship, freedom, and cooperation through collaborative diplomatic processes to resolve territorial disputes with all parties." The Asean charter ratified in December 2008 aims to pursue engagement via political and security, socio cultural and economic dialog. Asean consists of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Brunei, and Vietnam. — VS, GMANews.TV