Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawamet his cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong in Phnom Penh.
By MICHAELA DEL CALLAR
July 20, 2012
GMA, Philippines
Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah
Aman made an unexpected trip to Manila Friday to meet Philippine
counterpart, Albert del Rosario, and discuss differences within the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) over the territorial row
involving four of its members and China.
Aman’s visit is the second by a top ASEAN diplomat concerned over the rift that has divided members of the regional economic bloc.
On Wednesday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa met Del Rosario in Manila to seek support for the six principles that embody the ASEAN’s common position on the territorial disputes.
The principles, which Natalegawa hopes to be issued as a joint statement this week, aim at mending the disagreements – and foster unity – within ASEAN.
On Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reported Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as saying there would be no quick resolution to competing territorial claims in the South China Sea, warning tensions must not be allowed to escalate.
"It is safe to assume, given the extreme complexity of the overlapping claims, that we will not see a diplomatic resolution of the South China Sea disputes in the short term, perhaps even in the medium term," said Yudhoyono in the same AFP report.
"Short of a comprehensive resolution, the claimants must do their best to manage and contain the disputes to make sure that it does not escalate – or worse – lead to the outbreak of military clashes," the Indonesian leader told the First Strategic Review Forum in Jakarta.
Common concerns
A Department of Foreign Affairs statement Friday noted Rosario and Malaysia’s Aman discussed “issues of common concern, among which was the statement on ASEAN’s six-point principles on the South China Sea.”
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Raul Hernandez said Aman “agreed to the six-point principles that have already been discussed between the Philippines and Indonesia” two days ago.
The principles call on ASEAN to:
Southeast Asian states have reached a "common position" on the disputed South China Sea, but will not resurrect a joint communiqué aborted after unprecedented discord over the issue at a summit last week, Reuters said in a separate report Friday, citing Indonesia's Foreign Minister.
Marty Natalegawa sought to put a positive gloss on two days of shuttle diplomacy that failed to rally members of the Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) behind a belated, face-saving communiqué.
China claims the West Philippine Sea nearly in its entirety, its claim overlapping with territorial waters of other nations like the Philippines.
Brunei Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines all ASEAN members – as well as Taiwan have rival claims to the sea, supposedly rich in oil and gas deposits. It is also regarded as among the world’s strategic and busiest waterways.
An optimistic future
In an unprecedented development last week, ASEAN failed to issue its customary joint communiqué when Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong blocked any mention of the Philippines’ territorial row with China over Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc – also called Scarborough Shoal.
Cambodia, this year’s host of the ASEAN’s rotating chairmanship, is a known ally of China.
ASEAN also groups Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Singapore.
According to AFP, divisions over members' territorial disputes with China prevented the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from issuing its customary joint statement at the conclusion of its meeting in Cambodia on July 13.
Yudhoyono’s exasperations over the issue were not for the first time.
"Things do not necessarily have to be this slow," he told ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Bali in July last year.
"We need to send a strong signal to the world that the future of the South China Sea is a predictable, manageable and optimistic one," Yudhoyono added. — VS, GMA News
Aman’s visit is the second by a top ASEAN diplomat concerned over the rift that has divided members of the regional economic bloc.
On Wednesday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa met Del Rosario in Manila to seek support for the six principles that embody the ASEAN’s common position on the territorial disputes.
The principles, which Natalegawa hopes to be issued as a joint statement this week, aim at mending the disagreements – and foster unity – within ASEAN.
On Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reported Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as saying there would be no quick resolution to competing territorial claims in the South China Sea, warning tensions must not be allowed to escalate.
"It is safe to assume, given the extreme complexity of the overlapping claims, that we will not see a diplomatic resolution of the South China Sea disputes in the short term, perhaps even in the medium term," said Yudhoyono in the same AFP report.
"Short of a comprehensive resolution, the claimants must do their best to manage and contain the disputes to make sure that it does not escalate – or worse – lead to the outbreak of military clashes," the Indonesian leader told the First Strategic Review Forum in Jakarta.
Common concerns
A Department of Foreign Affairs statement Friday noted Rosario and Malaysia’s Aman discussed “issues of common concern, among which was the statement on ASEAN’s six-point principles on the South China Sea.”
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Raul Hernandez said Aman “agreed to the six-point principles that have already been discussed between the Philippines and Indonesia” two days ago.
The principles call on ASEAN to:
- agree to fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea or DOC
- support for the guidelines of the DOC
- conclude early a regional code of conduct on the South China Sea
- fully respect universally-recognized principle of international law including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
- continue exercising self restraint and non-use of force
- have a peaceful resolution of conflicts in accordance with universally-recognized principles of international law and including the 1982 UNCLOS.
Southeast Asian states have reached a "common position" on the disputed South China Sea, but will not resurrect a joint communiqué aborted after unprecedented discord over the issue at a summit last week, Reuters said in a separate report Friday, citing Indonesia's Foreign Minister.
Marty Natalegawa sought to put a positive gloss on two days of shuttle diplomacy that failed to rally members of the Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) behind a belated, face-saving communiqué.
China claims the West Philippine Sea nearly in its entirety, its claim overlapping with territorial waters of other nations like the Philippines.
Brunei Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines all ASEAN members – as well as Taiwan have rival claims to the sea, supposedly rich in oil and gas deposits. It is also regarded as among the world’s strategic and busiest waterways.
An optimistic future
In an unprecedented development last week, ASEAN failed to issue its customary joint communiqué when Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong blocked any mention of the Philippines’ territorial row with China over Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc – also called Scarborough Shoal.
Cambodia, this year’s host of the ASEAN’s rotating chairmanship, is a known ally of China.
ASEAN also groups Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Singapore.
According to AFP, divisions over members' territorial disputes with China prevented the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from issuing its customary joint statement at the conclusion of its meeting in Cambodia on July 13.
Yudhoyono’s exasperations over the issue were not for the first time.
"Things do not necessarily have to be this slow," he told ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Bali in July last year.
"We need to send a strong signal to the world that the future of the South China Sea is a predictable, manageable and optimistic one," Yudhoyono added. — VS, GMA News
3 comments:
China dog Hundred zen host bias for his Boss China was wrong and gaven Cambodia a bad reputation as China dog.The world know that,only Davan Long was deaf trying to defend Hun zen against his own consciences knowing real well that Cambodia as a host was bias and unethical.So now Indonesia has clean up Hun's messes from Asean summit,Bangkok post was right,whole world know that Cambodia is China dog.
I say screw the fake asean up .Where were they when cambodia need them? Now it just a returning favor
You were right 759. If srok khmer with china, then ASEAN is with USA. For me I chose china as my good neighbor friend where we can grow together. Unlike others that always trying to steal from us and gather enough friends to steal from china. Especially the yuon will always the pain in Khmer s
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