| |
SINGAPORE: ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan has called for maximum restraint amid a tense standoff on disputed land near an ancient temple between Cambodia and Thailand.
Governments on both sides have steadily increased their troop presence, sending worried residents fleeing.
The tensions between the two ASEAN neighbours come as foreign ministers of the Southeast Asian grouping prepare to meet in Singapore.
Ahead of a joint meeting between the militaries from both sides on Monday, Dr Surin is calling for the matter to be settled amicably.
He said: "I think the ministers may wish to address the issue in a way of trying to encourage early resolution, maximum restraint in order to avoid any repercussion on the image of the organisation."
Dr Surin also commented on Singapore's assessment of ASEAN with regards to the humanitarian efforts in Myanmar in the wake of Cyclone Nargis.
"The humanitarian challenge....very, very, tough. Minister Yeo (Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister) gave us a 'C' grade, but I think probably a 'B+' from me. I'm not challenging him, but I think he's being very cautious," said Dr Surin.
Minister George Yeo had said that the past year has been a challenging one for ASEAN, but that it has made some progress.
He said: "ASEAN helped build a bridge of trust between the Myanmar government and the international community."
He also noted that the community has achieved many firsts, among them, the signing of the ASEAN Charter.
ASEAN will next see a Committee of Permanent Representatives established, to take over much of regional-level coordination.
In anticipation of the ASEAN Charter being ratified by the end of the year, individual member nations are appointing ambassadors who will be based at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta where they will be tasked with handling the many day-to-day problems.
The move, ASEAN observers say, is a clear indication that the grouping is moving further towards integration.
- CNA/ir
|
