Singapore focus on '3 Cs' as new Asean chair

The environment, energy, climate change and sustainable development will also be key priorities during the 12 months of the Republic's stewardship of the 10-member regional grouping.

The turnover of the Asean chairmanship from the Philippines to Singapore was sealed here with a handshake between Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo and Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, both in traditional Filipino 'barong' shirts.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 40th Asean Ministerial Meeting here, Yeo said: "Singapore endeavours to build upon the good work of our Filipino colleagues. Forty years on, Asean is at a critical turning point".

"We will focus on three key thrusts, which I will call the Three Cs...the Charter, whose drafting began under the Philippines' chairmanship; Community building, both within Asean and the wider region; and the Challenges of regional and international nature that we must collectively address."

Ministers have been optimistic this week that the charter - meant to transform the bloc into a more rules-based community - will be ready for signing at the leaders' summit in Singapore, set for Nov 20.

That would be a "golden opportunity to make a bold and visionary political statement to the world", said Yeo.

A number of key charter provisions still need to be hammered out, including how to deal with non-compliance and a mechanism for majority voting on important issues.

Yeo said the grouping's ministers will meet in Singapore early next month to resolve the outstanding issues.

The 'finishing touches' will then be made at a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York a few weeks later.

Singapore will also be drawing up a 'detailed blueprint' for an economic community by 2015, for Asean's leaders to sign at the summit.

"By integrating our economies closely, we better position ourselves against the rise of China and India,"  Yeo said.

Elaborating on the scope of community building - the second 'C' - he said it entailed activities within the group, such as Singapore's contribution to Asean youth projects as well as forging links at the regional level and reaching out to its dialogue partners like the United States, China and the European Union.

Yeo made clear that Singapore's vision for community building was the creation of a 'people-centred organisation that has meaning for the man on the street'.

"If you boil down all that we do, Asean is about regional security and economic development; meaning jobs and investment."

The summit in November will also be used to push the agenda on tackling transnational threats such as terrorism and pandemics, which Asean countries cannot deal with alone.

"We have to work together and enlist the help of our dialogue partners where appropriate," Yeo said.

This year's ministerial get-together will probably also be remembered for all 10 of the region's politically diverse nations agreeing to create an intergovernmental human rights commission, despite the initial objection of Myanmar.

Asean also took one of its toughest stands on Myanmar, demanding to see results in its 'road map to democracy' and calling for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's release.

Also here yesterday, the 27-member Asean Regional Forum (ARF) - the region's largest security gathering - announced it would be able to take a more active role in preventing conflicts, after members adopted rules for a quick reaction group.

"ARF will not just be conference diplomacy,' said forum official M.C. Abad. "It will have a mechanism to do things that cannot wait for the next meeting".

//The Straits Times/Singapore

Asia News Network (ANN)