A.S.E.A.N. talks on ‘declaration’

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34085, 24 February 1976, Page 15

A.S.E.A.N. talks on ‘declaration’

(H-Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) BALI (Indonesia), February 23. The leaders of five non-Communist SouthEast .Asian countries began their first summit conference in Bali today amid signs that months of preparation will result in a “Bali Declaration’* heralding a new phase of political and economic co-operation in a potentially volatile region.

Presidents Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines and Suharto of Indonesia, and Prime Ministers Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore. Datuk Hussein Onn of Malaysia, and Kukrit Pramoj of Thailand will hold their two-day meeting in tropic-island tranquillity, but against a backdrop of last year's communist victories in Indo-China, a fresh upsurge of communist insurgency in Thailand and Malaysia, and a world still recovering from a painful economic recession. They have decided against turning the Bi-year-old Asso-| ciation of South-East Asian Nations into a military pact,' but security is likely to figure, highly in their discussions.

Their main aim has been to fonmulate a declaration with a treaty of amity and cooperation as the keystone on which to build their regional relationships. Sabah issue Though the so-called “road to Bali” has been an uphill effort. President Marcos said last night that agreement had finally been reached on the declaration, but that the A.S.EAJ4. Foreign Ministers were still working on what he described as the form and style of the friendship treaty. Conference sources said Malaysia, fearing that arbitration might be invoked for the Philippines’ still-unrenounced claim to the East Malaysian State of Sabah, had demanded modifications to the document in the form of a protocol. In response to questions President Marcos, who has been the only leader to meet the oress since they all ar-,-i'-ed within hours of each other vesterdav. said last n'ffht that the Ministers were still trying to decide whether

the treaty would refer to past, present, or future disputes. Malaysia has been pressing for a reference to only future disputes, thereby seeking to blunt any renewal of the Sabah issue.