France, East Timor to sign nonaggression pact with Asean
01/13/2007 | 05:36 PM
CEBU - France and East Timor were set to sign a nonaggression pact with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) on Saturday - a sign of both countries' hopes for stronger trade and diplomatic ties with the grouping.
The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation requires signatories to renounce the use or threat of force against Asean members, stresses noninterference in signatories' internal affairs and allows for arbitration of disputes by a tribunal.
It is also a prerequisite to enter the East Asia Summit, a 16-country bloc spearheaded by Asean that was launched in December 2005 as part of ambitious efforts to chart a pan-Asian community.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy and East Timorese Foreign Minister Jose Luis Guterres were scheduled to sign the treaty during the Asean annual summit Saturday in the central Philippine city of Cebu.
France would be the 11th country outside Asean - and the first European one - to sign the treaty, after Australia, China, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, South Korea, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Russia.
France has so far had little strategic interest in Southeast Asia, but its accession to the treaty is considered a sign of Paris' aspirations for deeper economic and political engagement with the region.
East Timor, meanwhile, has voiced hopes of becoming an Asean member within the next few years following the tiny country's nation-building efforts in the wake of its bloody break from Indonesian rule in 1999.
Asean, which is stepping up efforts for regional economic integration, could benefit from East Timor's large oil and gas reserves once it joins the grouping.
Asean comprises Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Brunei. - AP
The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation requires signatories to renounce the use or threat of force against Asean members, stresses noninterference in signatories' internal affairs and allows for arbitration of disputes by a tribunal.
It is also a prerequisite to enter the East Asia Summit, a 16-country bloc spearheaded by Asean that was launched in December 2005 as part of ambitious efforts to chart a pan-Asian community.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy and East Timorese Foreign Minister Jose Luis Guterres were scheduled to sign the treaty during the Asean annual summit Saturday in the central Philippine city of Cebu.
France would be the 11th country outside Asean - and the first European one - to sign the treaty, after Australia, China, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, South Korea, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Russia.
France has so far had little strategic interest in Southeast Asia, but its accession to the treaty is considered a sign of Paris' aspirations for deeper economic and political engagement with the region.
East Timor, meanwhile, has voiced hopes of becoming an Asean member within the next few years following the tiny country's nation-building efforts in the wake of its bloody break from Indonesian rule in 1999.
Asean, which is stepping up efforts for regional economic integration, could benefit from East Timor's large oil and gas reserves once it joins the grouping.
Asean comprises Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Brunei. - AP
