Wednesday, Oct 08, 2003
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By Amit Baruah
Mr. Mahathir's `departure' from the ASEAN scene was noted with glowing words of tribute from the Indonesian President, Megawati Sukarnoputri, during the ninth ASEAN summit today. She described him as a "steadfast friend" and "respected colleague". "He always had strong and informed views, and never hesitated to say the unpleasant," Ms. Megawati said in her tribute. "There is no way of counting the things he did for ASEAN. Indeed, he was one of those who worked the hardest to articulate ASEAN's vision of itself. That is why I can say with confidence that Mr. Mahathir may leave office, but he will never abandon involvement with ASEAN," she said. In turn, Mr. Mahathir said that to be honoured by fellow leaders in ASEAN was "something special". The time, he remarked, had come for him to leave. (He hands over the job to his current Deputy, Abdullah Ahmed Badawi). "I have had the privilege of attending most ASEAN summits. During these years, I have seen many changes taking place in ASEAN... though in the early years ASEAN was written off as an irrelevant organisation, we have proved we are very relevant. How else can we explain the willingness of the countries of North-East Asia and South Asia to hold dialogues with us. In fact, many outside the region have expressed the desire to be a member of ASEAN. Finally, I wish to stress that as we move forward, we must not disregard nor erode the principles that have kept us together. The principles of non-interference, of consensus-based decision-making, national and regional resilience, respect for national sovereignty, the renunciation of the threat or the use of force in the settlement of differences and disputes, must always be upheld by the ASEAN countries," he said.
Seoul seeks support
Meanwhile, South Korea called on ASEAN "economic leaders" to support Seoul and "have interest" in endeavours to find a peaceful solution to the North Korean nuclear problem. In his address to the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, the South Korean President, Roh Moo-hyun, said he understood that the regional grouping was "very concerned" by the North Korean issue. "Military tension and confrontation cannot but be an obstacle to the stability and prosperity of all of East Asia. A peaceful solution to the nuclear issue and a viable inter-Korean peace system are essential for peace and prosperity in East Asia," he said. "The North Korean nuclear issue should be resolved quickly. And it must be resolved peacefully," the South Korean leader said. Fortunately, the Six-Party talks were held in Beijing, in August, he said. "A road has been open(ed) for the peaceful solution to the North Korean problem. I expect that the second round of talks will be held in the near future, and I hope good results will be forthcoming".
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