ASEAN's progress as a grouping has made it an attractive target for
external powers, according to its secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan, who warned
against escalating tensions over the South China Sea.
The 'projection of power' could
derail ASEAN's efforts at negotiating a peaceful settlement of territorial
disputes in the area, he told The Straits Times in an interview.
He said: "I'm concerned that
the situation is going to evolve too quick, too fast, and that could put too
much pressure on the (peaceful) process we are trying to build.
"That process is step by
step... from political intent to practical implementation to a binding code of
conduct. This cannot be derailed; it is in the interest of everyone to move it
forward, but what is evolving is of concern that it could affect, if not
derail, the momentum."
Dr Surin, a former Thai foreign
minister, was speaking a day after China trumpeted its newest municipality,
Sansha, in the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
Two ASEAN members, the Philippines
and Vietnam, immediately slammed the move. Both countries, along with fellow
ASEAN members Malaysia and Brunei, and Taiwan and China, have overlapping
claims on territories in the region.
Tensions have simmered for
several years but escalated this year with increased naval activities by China,
Vietnam and the Philippines in the disputed areas.
Dr Surin, whose five-year term
ends this December, said he was not surprised by the power rivalry being played
out in ASEAN's backyard.
He said: "I don't think you
can say, 'Please don't pay any attention to us', to anybody because we have
become more important to the world compared to 10 years ago, so it's natural
that all this pressure will be built up. The question is how to handle
this."
Dr Surin did not refer to any
specific power although he made a reference to "one major external party
who happens to be a dialogue partner".
Both China and the United States
are dialogue partners of ASEAN.
Washington has also increasingly
played its hand in the South China Sea issue, calling for restraint from all
parties and a peaceful resolution of disputes.
Dr Surin said ASEAN leaders had
to demonstrate unity during their summit in November which would be followed by
the East Asia Summit, which includes China.
Last week, a whistle-stop tour of
five ASEAN countries by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa managed to
break the deadlock at a recent foreign ministers meeting, with the release of a
statement outlining the bloc's common position on six points related to the
South China Sea.
Dr Surin disclosed that members
were also working on the text of a joint communiqué so that they could issue it
ahead of the meetings in Phnom Penh in November.
He said he hoped the text would
be ready before September 24, when ASEAN leaders will meet each other on the
sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York.
The ASEAN secretary-general
warned that failure to issue a joint communiqué would affect the confidence and
psychology of the region and taint the cohesive image of the bloc.
Zubaidah Nazeer,
Asia News Network
The Straits Times
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