CEBU (Mindanao Examiner / 10 Jan) – The 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit formally opened Wednesday in the central Filipino province of Cebu under tight security and shadow of possible terror attacks from the regional Jemaah Islamiya militants and al-Qaeda-affiliate Abu Sayyaf group.
Philippine authorities assured member nations that security is tight during the weeklong summit. Australia and other Western countries issued travel warning after citing intelligence reports that terrorists may be plotting to disrupt the Summit.
The ministerial meetings have begun and leaders were discussing issues that will further enhance cooperation, peace and economic development in Southeast Asia.
The two-day meetings held at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) and the Mactan Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa were ahead of the ASEAN Leaders’ Summit on Jan. 13-15.
Simultaneous conferences by the ASEAN senior economic officials and the special ASEAN Standing Committee (ASC) and a meeting of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam senior officials and the special ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) were also held on Wednesday.
President Gloria Arroyo said great stakes are involved in the continuing integration of the entire East Asia, which is driven by strong centripetal forces to close ranks for a safer and more secure community, open and equitable trade and cooperation in all fronts of energy development, and the prosperity of its diverse peoples.
“We face a great future in East Asia as a caring and sharing community, and this meeting of leaders will be another golden opportunity to carve out new directions of development across borders, fighting poverty and building coalitions of technology.”
“We stand at the threshold of great challenges and opportunities, and timely decisions will enable ASEAN and East Asia to seize the moment and the momentum to achieve broader human security, peace and prosperity at the grassroots of every village and community,” she said.
Ambassador Victoriano Lecaros, spokesman for the 12th ASEAN summit, said that the ministerial meetings will focus on various international and regional issues, review and discuss proposals to transform the vision of an ASEAN Community into a reality.
Parallel meetings with the ASEAN senior officials and economic ministers will be held on Thursday at Shangri-La Hotel where they will also meet with their counterparts from China, Japan, South Korea and India.
The ASEAN leaders, on the other hand, will also hold separate summits -- ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 2nd East Asia Summit.Aside from the main summit meeting, the ASEAN leaders will also hold other summits, including the annual ASEAN sub-regional grouping’s summits such as the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area, the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle and the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Grouping.
National Organizing Committee (NOC) Secretary General Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr. earlier said some 50 meetings would be conducted from Jan. 10-15.
The ASEAN Economic Ministers will also finalize seven documents for signing during the Summit. The blueprint -- which will focus on how ASEAN could benefit from the elimination of tariff for the ASEAN-6 by 2010 and for the new ASEAN members by 2015 -- is one of the most important documents to be signed by the leaders.
Over the years, ASEAN has seen the growth of regional networks of non-governmental organizations.
One of the most active of these groups is the ASEAN Peoples’ Assembly, which is an important partner of ASEAN in moving forward its integration initiatives. Arroyo has chosen the theme for the 12th ASEAN Summit, entitled “One Caring and Sharing Community.”
The theme will reflect the initiatives to be taken by the Philippines in ASEAN community building and common people’s participation. Last year, Malaysia hosted the 11th ASEAN Summit and discussed seven main issues -- the spread of bird flu, southern Thailand conflict, democracy in Myanmar, crude oil prices fluctuation and poverty, investment and trade and an ASEAN charter.
The 12th ASEAN Summit was supposed to be held last month, but had been postponed because of a typoon. The ASEAN is composed of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (Mindanao Examiner, with government media reports)
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