A.S.E.A.N. agreement signed

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34087, 26 February 1976, Page 17

A.S.E.A.N. agreement signed

(N.Z.P, A.-Reuter—Copyright)

BALI (Indonesia) February 25.

The leaders of five non-Communist SouthEast Asian countries have ended their twoday summit meeting in Bali with a treaty of friendship and cooperation.

The accord between Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand followed months of Ministerial and lower-level preparations for the summit of the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations, and is aimed at strengthening cooperation to meet challenges in the region after the Communists’ victories in IndoChina.

One article of the treaty opens the way for other countries to join the association, which was founded 8) years ago. The accord also calls tor progress by member-States towards the’ establishment of preferential trading arrangements as a long-term objective.

The agreement was signed by Presidents Marcos of the Philippines and Suharto of Indonesia, and three Prime Ministers, Mr Kukrit (Thailand), Datuk Hussein (Malaysia), and Mr Lee Kuan Yew (Singapore). As expected, the summit meeting shied away from any attempt to form a military pact which cobld be construed as posing a threat to other countries in the region. Instead, the leaders agreed “to continue co-operation on a non-A.S.E.A.N. basis between member-States in security matters, in accordance with their mutual needs.”

Agreement had been reached even before the summit talks began that members would limit their cooperation to increased exchanges of information and bilateral action against

insurgents operating across their borders. The A.S.E.A.N. countries have also agreed that the best defence against domestic insurgency is “a drive to improve the standard of living of our peoples through increased economic cooperation and national resilience.” The five leaders offered these comments at the end of the talks: PRESIDENT SUHARTO: “We have expanded the scope, and intensified the activities, of our association to cover all fields. . . . Certainly we are not indulging ourselves in wishful thinking that the path to be followed is unobstructed.” DATUK HUSSEIN: “1 am convinced that the A.S.E.A.N. has been strengthened by the fresh winds of sincere controversy . . . The development of a community of regional interests is necessarily a islow process . . . The Bali ; Declaration is without doubt a serious and significant document. We can point to concrete agreement in the important areas of joint economic action, joint political action, global co-operation, cultural co-operation, and the establishment of a permanent secretariat. We have also

signed a treaty of amity and-co-operation—the first wholly ■ indigenous multilateral treaty; in the entire history of South-j East Asia.” MR LEE: “We must aim, in the next three to five: years, to give each and every partner such a stake in A.S.E.A.N. that it will be difficult for any partner to leave it without creating: problems far more unpleasant! than any which members will j face within it . . . We have!

■ succeeded because there was (considerable give and take |and common sense. So long las we do not insist that one ■partner should give more than he can afford politically lor economically for the present, or take more than is reasonable, then disagreement can be overcome.” PRESIDENT MARCOS: (“Every member of A.S.E.A.N. is bound to the other memIbers by common interests land common destiny . . .

si There is no obstacle that can ‘■now overcome our best indentions . . . We have particij pated in a God-like act of i I creation . . . and economic ’land social development are (the instruments of a social >! justice.” MR KUKRIT: “The declaration has given new impetus : to the organisation . . . We .have achieved what we • 'wanted. The real results will ■ I emphasise the substance of Jour significant co-opt-ration.”