The Associated Press
Highlights of the landmark charter signed Tuesday by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to create a legal foundation for the bloc:
- Upholds democracy, the rule of law, good governance, protection of human rights and nonaggression. Rejects unconstitutional regime changes.
- Reaffirms ASEAN's bedrock principle of noninterference in members' domestic affairs.
- Mandates establishment of a human rights body in a region with widespread violations.
- Prohibits nuclear weapons in the region and bans all weapons of mass destruction and interference by foreign powers.
- Aims to turn Southeast Asia into a single market with a free flow of goods, services, investment and capital.
- Empowers the region's heads of state, to be known collectively as the ASEAN Summit, as the bloc's highest policy-making officials. They are to meet twice instead of once a year, and could deal with emergencies, disputes and any serious breach of the charter.
- Retains the bloc's traditional decision-making by consensus but, failing that, empowers ASEAN heads of state to determine other ways to formulate a decision.
- Accords a legal identity to ASEAN for international negotiations and transactions.
- Designates Aug. 8 each year as ASEAN Day and English as the bloc's working language.
- The charter must be ratified by members, either through Cabinet decisions, referendums or parliamentary approval. It takes effect 30 days after it has been ratified by all members.
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