Press Release No. 036-03
30 January 2003


Brussels, 29 January 2003 - ASEAN is in a unique position to lead cooperation within the Asia-Pacific region and between the Asia-Pacific and other regions of the world.  This was the message conveyed by  Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople to the gathered ministers of  ASEAN and the European Union.

Secretary Ople made this assertion when he lead the discussions on Agenda Item 5(c) : International Issues - Developments in the Asia Pacific, including the Korean Peninsula, during the 14th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting in Brussels which was held on 27-28 January 2003.

In his statement (copy attached) during the meeting, he pointed out that some of the top flashpoints in the world are to be found in the Asia-Pacific, which he said were : the tensions in Korean peninsula, the Taiwan straits, the South China Sea and South Asia -- all of which, according to Secretary Ople, all pre-date our preoccupation with terrorism and all have a decidedly nuclear dimension.

“In all this, ASEAN finds itself not only in the geographic heart of  the Asia-Pacific, but also at its political core and center. Unlike other continents, the Asia-Pacific has not gone far in terms of integration. There is no organization of Asian states or Asian unity or an Asian union. What we do have is the ASEAN.  ASEAN brings together not only the states in the region but also those outside. Our Post-Ministerial process and our ASEAN Regional Forum or ARF provide unique opportunities found nowhere else. And until the Asia-Pacific reaches the level of integration seen in other parts of the world, ASEAN, that  organization of ten Southeast Asian states, will have to do” Secretary Ople said in his statement.

Secretary Ople said that ASEAN has succeeded in helping diffuse tensions in the South China Sea and that the ASEAN Regional Forum provides a venue through which security issues throughout the Asia-Pacific can be discussed.

On the situation on the Korean peninsula, Secretary Ople said that “the DPRK’s successive acts have raised the tension in the Korean peninsula. These acts were : the DPRK’s admission that it pursued a nuclear weapons program using enriched uranium; reactivation of the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon which were frozen under the 1994 framework agreement; removal of monitoring seals and cameras from its nuclear facilities; expulsion of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) weapon inspectors; and its withdrawal from the non-proliferation treaty.”

Secretary Ople said that ASEAN can play a key role in helping find a peaceful and lasting solution to the Korean peninsula issue.“In ASEAN, our Foreign Ministers met early yesterday to discuss this issue. We decided to take a more active role in helping find a diplomatic solution to the problem on the Korean peninsula. We intend to take very specific measures, the details of which should be best left undiscussed for the moment,” Secretary Ople said in his statement. (please see Press Release dated 27 January 2003, “ASEAN TO TAKE MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN ADDRESSING THE SITUATION ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA - OPLE”)

After Secretary Ople’s presentation, several Ministers agreed that ASEAN can be the leader in Asia-Pacific integration and in building relations between the Asia-Pacific and other regions. European leaders, including European Union High Representative Javier Solana, believed that ASEAN could have an important role in addressing the situation in the Korean peninsula and in finding a peaceful solution. The European leaders offered to assist ASEAN in any way in can to achieve peace and stability in the Korean peninsula. END.

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Mr. Chairman:

Some of the top flashpoints in the world are to be found in the Asia-Pacific. The tensions in Korean peninsula, the Taiwan straits, the South China Sea and South Asia all pre-date our preoccupation with
terrorism. All have a decidedly nuclear dimension.

In all this, ASEAN finds itself not only in the geographic heart of the Asia-Pacific, but also at its political core and center.

Unlike other continents, the Asia-Pacific has not gone far in terms of  integration. There is no organization of Asian states or Asian unity or an Asian union.

What we do have is the ASEAN.  ASEAN brings together not only the states in the region but also those outside. Our Post-Ministerial process and our ASEAN Regional Forum or ARF provide unique
opportunities found nowhere else.

And until the Asia-Pacific reaches the level of integration seen in other parts of the world, ASEAN, that organization of ten Southeast Asian states, will have to do.

This is a responsibility that ASEAN takes most seriously.

We have shown this on the issue of the conflicting claims in the South China Sea. It is one of the most complex regional issues and the most difficult to resolve as it involves several claimants, affects other
countries that depend on the vital sea lanes and impinges upon the regional security environment. It was therefore quite a feat for China and ASEAN to have signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in
the South China Sea. The world can be rest assured that, guided by this declaration, this flashpoint will not be allowed to flare.

Within ASEAN, we do what we can to help our members bring peace and stability within our own countries. Led by Indonesia, and together with Malaysia and Brunei, these fellow ASEAN members are helping my country in finding a just and lasting peace in the Southern Philippines.

Together with Thailand, the Philippines is participating in the international monitoring team in Aceh. It has only been a month and already we see many significant developments towards the reconstruction of the province and normalization in the lives of the people of Aceh. Despite these positive events, certain developments have triggered a  growing concern that this progress may be overturned by parallel deteriorating trends.
The lingering conflict between India and Pakistan continue to be a  cause of tension, not only among their nationals, but to everyone else. As the recent military build-up and risk of war have demonstrated, the acquisition of nuclear weapons by both countries has not contributed to regional stability or to efforts to limit the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Last week, we learned about the expulsion of the other's diplomats -- definitely not an encouraging sign of things to come.

The riots in East Timor serve to highlight the vulnerability of the new nation and calls attention to the need for the international community to stay committed in its support of East Timor's efforts in nation-building and economic development.  Let me now turn to the situation in the Korean Peninsula.

The DPRK’s successive acts have raised the tension in the Korean peninsula. These acts were : the DPRK’s admission that it pursued a  nuclear weapons program using enriched uranium; reactivation of the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon which were frozen under the 1994 framework agreement; removal of monitoring seals and cameras from its nuclear facilities; expulsion of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) weapon inspectors; and its withdrawal from the non-proliferation treaty.   

The world responded quickly and several avenues of talks are actively  being pursued. These talks are encouraging and boost our confidence  that a peaceful resolution could be achieved.

In ASEAN, our Foreign Ministers met early yesterday to discuss this issue. We decided to take a more active role in helping find a  diplomatic solution to the problem on the Korean peninsula. We intend to take very specific measures, the details of which should be best  left undiscussed for the moment.  

We in ASEAN recognize our serious responsibility and the potential role that we can play in regional stability.  

We established the ASEAN Regional Forum and believe in its potential. The ARF has had reinvent itself with its new and important focus on international terrorism. Recent imperatives call for a change in doing things. To be sure, ARF’s progress has to be gradual, evolutionary and subject to consensus, but move it must.

Like I said in the beginning, the regional integration of the Asia-Pacific is still a long way off. But we, as a continent have little  choice but to deal with other integrated continents. Until that time comes, ASEAN, and its unique fora and processes will have to do. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.