Southeast Asian countries eye anti-terror pact

Manila, Oct 26: The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is hoping to hammer out a counter-terrorism agreement at a December summit, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said today.

The unregulated movement of arms and fighters among remote outposts of Southeast Asia has made it susceptible to attacks by Muslim militant groups such as Jemaah Islamiah, which seeks an Islamic superstate across parts of the region.

''We will, hopefully, have a convention on counter-terrorism to make ASEAN's fight against terrorism more cohesive,'' Arroyo said on local radio without giving further details.

A Philippine diplomat said an ASEAN pact would beef up an earlier anti-terrorism alliance to exchange information and encourage closer coordination between the security agencies of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines after the 2002 Bali bombings.

Leaders of the 10 ASEAN countries, Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, meet amongst themselves first at the December meeting. They then hold an East Asia summit with the heads of China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. Officials from Russia, France and the European Union are also due to attend the meetings.

Benito Valeriano, an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs, said ASEAN and China were aiming to sign a code of conduct in the South China Sea at the East Asia summit to avoid conflict in the disputed region.

China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam have competing claims over parts of the South China Sea, an area believed to be rich in oil and gas.

''There will be discussions and amendments would be made if necessary by the leaders. It will be signed in December,'' Valeriano told reporters.

Valeriano said the code would firm up a 2002 agreement, which called on claimant countries in the South China Sean not to occupy uninhabited land in disputed areas and allow free passage of vessels.

All the claimants, except Brunei, have troops and warships stationed in the disputed territories. Taiwan began building airstrips on Taiping islet in the contested Spratlys archipelago late last year, prompting a protest from Vietnam.

ASEAN's annual summit will take place December 6-13 in the central Philippine city of Cebu. The Philippines currently holds the group's rotating chairmanship.

REUTERS