MOVING FORWARD WITH ASEAN COMMUNITY BUILDING

 Statement by the
Hon. Dr. Alberto G. Romulo
Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines

 On the Occasion of the
 ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat

 Siem Reap, Cambodia , 2 March 2007

The success of the 12^th ASEAN Summit and the Related Summit Meetings in Cebu last January underscored our region’s collective responsibility to build on and fortify the foundations of a caring regional community whose peoples share in the blessings of peace, progress and prosperity.

Here, in Siem Reap, we have moved substantively forward in fulfilling this responsibility during our deliberation at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat.  We received the progress report of Ambassador Rosario G. Manalo, Chairperson of the ASEAN High-Level Task Force (HLTF), which is drafting the ASEAN Charter.

The ASEAN Charter is vital to our region’s integration efforts.  With this Charter, ASEAN will strengthen its organization, its institutional mechanisms, and its responsiveness to the challenges of deeper regional integration and globalization.

In my capacity as Chairman of ASEAN, I commended Ambassador Manalo and her HLTF colleagues for the progress they have made thus far in the important work of drafting the ASEAN Charter.  I directed the HLTF to always bear in mind our decisions in Cebu that ASEAN community building must be people-oriented, inclusive and forward-looking. 

By preparing itself for the future, ASEAN will be able to maintain itself in the driver’s seat in regional endeavors to shape a new regional architecture for East Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific.  The centrality of ASEAN in regional initiatives to enhance our common security, growth, and prosperity is a strategic objective that we will continue to pursue.

After Ambassador Manalo’s progress report, we are confident that the HLTF will be ready with a draft ASEAN Charter in time for consideration at the 40^th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Manila this coming July.

In a world of dynamic and rapid change, broadening partnerships with other regions is likewise key in consolidating ASEAN’s dynamic position.  My counterparts and I, therefore, reviewed cooperation between ASEAN and the European Union (EU).  We discussed how to enhance this cooperation ahead of the ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting in Nuremberg , Germany in March.  ASEAN and the EU are currently preparing for the latter’s accession to ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC)

Since ASEAN was accorded Observer Status at the United Nations, we also considered parameters for strengthened ASEAN-UN cooperation.  The United Nations is important for ASEAN and all its members, and we seek closer relations with the World Body on such key issues as the reduction of global poverty through the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s).

Finally, we agreed to convene the Commission of the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty this July on the sidelines of the 40^th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Manila .  The Commission will review the implementation of the Treaty since it came into force in 1997 in order to ensure that it continues to contribute to peace and stability in the region.  END

/epa

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