World | Philippines
Asean forms group to tackle regional threats
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Forum and their dialogue partners have agreed to form a group to stop political conflict, terrorism, and transnational crime in the region, officials told Gulf News.
- By Barbara Mae Dacanay, Bureau Chief
- Published: 00:00 August 5, 2007
Manila: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Forum and their dialogue partners have agreed to form a group to stop political conflict, terrorism, and transnational crime in the region, officials told Gulf News.
The Asean Regional Forum (ARF) said the group will be in charge of preventive diplomacy, based on how various Asean member countries have cooperated in handling Indonesia's problem with Christians in Aceh province and the Philippines' Muslim problem in the south, said M.C. Abad, an ARF official.
Manila's foreign minister Alberto Romulo, the current ARF chairman will set up the ad hoc group, called "Friends of the ARF Chair," to handle emergency and threats to regional peace and stability, explained Abad, adding the group will include three Aseanforeign ministers who will assist the ARF chairman.
"ARF's initiative is to perform preventive diplomacy work," said M.C. Abad, "It will allow ARF to do things that cannot wait for the next ARF or Asean annual meeting."
The ARF also endorsed a cooperation framework on counter-terrorism and transnational crime.
It covers transport security, information exchange, management of terror acts, and gives ARF a "comprehensive and coherent programme of work in the field of counter-terrorism and transnational crimes," Abad explained.
The United States has called for the establishment of a regional mechanism that will allow Asean partners to help reduce the number of casualties during disasters in the region.
"The US has offered regional disaster and security measures," explained Christopher Hill, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions commonly occur in Southeast Asia.
"A quick humanitarian response, assisted by other countries will always help reduce the number of casualties in times of natural disasters," Hill said.
The US has worked with the Philippines, Australia and Indonesia on a proposed 2009 ARF Disaster Relief Exercise, according to a US State Department paper, adding the US has funded capacity building workshops in maritime security.
The ARF also condemned the Taliban for killing two South Korean hostages in Afghanistan, and demanded the release of 21 other hostages, said Philippine foreign minister Romulo.
"The Foreign Ministers of the participating countries of the Asean Regional Forum express our solidarity with the people and government of the Republic of Korea and condemn the hostage taking of their nationals in Afghanistan and deplore in the strongest terms the brutal murder of two hostages," he said.
- With additional inputs by Estrella Torres, Correspondent
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