Released on - Sunday,18 July , 2010 -09:57
Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) shared "deep concern" at the sinking of a South Korean warship, says a draft document which also calls for unimpeded aid access to Gaza.
"We expressed deep concern over the sinking of (the) ship Cheonan and the rising tension on the Korean peninsula," says the draft, which fails to apportion blame.
AFP obtained the document ahead of the 10 foreign ministers' annual talks, which begin in Vietnam on Monday.
The discussions culminate on Friday in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Asia-Pacific's largest security dialogue, which will be attended by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Tensions over the sinking are expected to overshadow the ARF talks, diplomats and observers said.
Foreign ministers of North and South Korea as well as from Japan, Russia, China and Europe are among those expected at the meeting of the 27-member ARF.
South Korea has said it wants ARF to condemn North Korea for the torpedo attack which broke the corvette in two in March with the loss of 46 lives. Pyongyang vehemently denies involvement despite the findings of a multinational investigation, and said it was ready to retaliate if punished.
"We urged all parties concerned to exercise utmost restraint," the ministers' draft says.
It reaffirms support for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula and encourages a return to six-party talks as soon as possible, "bearing in mind that peace and security on the Korean peninsula would greatly impact the region".
After a United Nations statement on the ship sinking, nuclear-armed North Korea said it was willing in principle to return to the multilateral disarmament talks which it abandoned last year.
The talks involved China, Japan, the two Koreas, Russia and the US.
Kurt Campbell, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, said Pyongyang would have to demonstrate a commitment to change its "provocative ways" before dialogue would start.
On July 9 the UN Security Council condemned the Cheonan attack but did not apportion blame -- a result hailed by the North as a "great diplomatic victory".
Analysts and diplomats said the ARF is also unlikely to blame Pyongyang.
In their draft document, the ASEAN foreign ministers also call for unimpeded aid access to Gaza and a resumption of Middle East peace talks.
ASEAN includes the world's largest Muslim nation, Indonesia, as well as Muslim-majority Malaysia and Brunei.
The ministers "strongly condemned" a deadly May 31 Israeli military raid on an aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip.
"In this regard, we reiterated the call for the unimpeded access of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people in Gaza in order to help alleviate their plight," says the draft.
It calls for a resumption of negotiations for "a final, just and comprehensive settlement with the realisation of two states, Israel and Palestine".
The draft also reiterates ASEAN's position on elections planned this year in the bloc's military-ruled member Myanmar.
Ministers want the ballot conducted "in a free, fair and inclusive manner with the participation of all political parties," the draft says.
The opposition group led by detained Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is boycotting the vote, which the US expects will not be held freely.
In their draft, ministers stress the importance of peace and stability in the South China Sea, where China and ASEAN nations have overlapping sovereignty claims.
Canada and Turkey are to accede to a non-aggression pact with ASEAN and other nations, the draft communique says.
No comments:
Post a Comment