ASEAN Signs Landmark Charter

As the host of the summit, Singapore's premier Lee Hsien Loong told journalists after UN Special Envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari's address to regional leaders was cancelled that ASEAN would respect Myanmar's wishes.

"Prime Minister Thien Sein of Myanmar made clear that the situation in Myanmar was a domestic Myanmar affair and that Myanmar was fully capable of handling the affair by itself," Lee Hsien Loong said. "Prime Minister Thien Sein explained that UN Secretary General's special advisor Ibrahim Gambari had visited Myanmar four (sic) times and that Myanmar had implemented many of his proposals."

The prime minister added: "ASEAN stands ready to play a role whenever Myanmar wants it to do so. The leaders noted that the recent visits by Professor Gambari had resulted in several steps in the right direction. Most leaders expressed the view that Myanmar could not go back or stay put, the process of national reconciliation had to play forward and the UN played a vital role in this process."

Meanwhile, about 40 Myanmar residents of Singapore held a vigil to protest against what they say is an inadequate response to the junta's recent crackdown by regional leaders. They called for ASEAN to be more pro-active. When the police arrived after 15 minutes, they dispersed peacefully.

Several signed deals

Trying not to let the Myanmar question mar their efforts to expand their co-operation, the 10 regional leaders got on with business. They approved a blueprint for a common market, encompassing over half a billion people, and backed the use of nuclear energy. Several bilateral agreements were also made on the sidelines.

But the most important development was the signing of a long-awaited charter, which binds the member states to notions of democracy and human rights. Myanmar's foreign minister Nian Win had already committed his country to the charter before it was signed.

But many observers have remarked that the charter will be but a meaningless piece of paper if Myanmar ignores the pledge to respect human rights. In a challenge to ASEAN's consensus-based approach, Philippines president Gloria Arroyo said her country might not ratify the charter unless Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was released.

Landmark charter

Despite these niggling issues, the landmark charter represents a radical step in the forty-year history of ASEAN. Former

Thai foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan, who takes over as Secretary General at the beginning of next year, was satisfied: "At least there will be rules and regulations by which the ASEAN process can move forward. In the past, it has been extremely informal. From now on there will be parameters, there will be rules, there will be regulations and the ASEAN organisation will be a legal entity."

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia and the Philippines. Papua New Guinea and East Timor have observer status.