By KAVI CHONGKITTAVORN
THE NATION ON SUNDAY
Obama's 90-minute meeting today with region's leaders expected to upgrade relations to a key partner
US President Barack Obama will today endorse the centrality of Asean in new regional community building and an expansive role for it in global issues, at the inaugural Asean-US Leaders' Meeting in Singapore.
Obama, who is scheduled to hold a 90-minute meeting this afternoon with the 10 Asean leaders, will also pronounce the policy of engagement with Asean as a key partner in promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
The historic meeting, which is being co-chaired by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, marks the first meeting between the leaders of the two sides. It will also be the first time in 43 years that a Burmese prime minister has met a US leader.
The draft joint statement, seen by The Nation on Sunday, touches on the whole gamut of Asean and US relations in the past 32 years related to political/security, economic/investment and social development issues.
The draft also included Abhisit's proposal of Asean connectivity, which aims at promoting infrastructure and communication links within Asean, including people-to-people contacts.
Obama will reaffirm the importance of Asean's centrality in building regional architecture, which must be inclusive, promote shared values and norms and respect the diversity within the region.
This is in line with his Tokyo speech on Asia yesterday, when he said: "Asean will remain a catalyst for Southeast Asian dialogue, cooperation and security."
The US will also express support for the Asean Inter-government Commission for Human Rights, including the track-two initiatives. Washington will invite members of the AICHR to the US to meet their counterparts.
Leaders of Asean and the US are expected to discuss regional and international issues. Topping the agenda will be the situation in Burma - particularly Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom - and North Korea. Various efforts related to transnational issues, such as climate change, energy security, terrorism, pandemics and disaster management, will also be discussed.
The outcome of a recent visit to Burma by two senior US officials will be discussed. On Burma, the leaders will stress that the US approach will "contribute to broad political and economic reforms and the process will be enhanced in the future".
Obama yesterday called for the release of Suu Kyi ahead of the leaders' meeting.
The leaders of Asean and the US will jointly urge the Burmese government to hold free, fair, fully inclusive and transparent elections next year, including a dialogue with all stakeholders.
The Asean leaders are expected to support the US call for a nuclear-free world. Together, they will call for North Korea to return to the six-party talks.
Despite the US reluctance to call its first meeting with Asean a summit, both sides have agreed to meet next year. At the meeting today, Obama is expected to invite all the Asean leaders to the US next year.
US-Asean relations have been bolstered following the new US policy towards Asia. In August, Washington signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, which further strengthened the three-decade relationship.
According to the draft statement, both sides have agreed to set up a joint Asean-US Eminent Persons Group to address regional and global issues. This group can work on issues tasked by their leaders, such as the Asean-US Free Trade Agreement.
The US has yet to agree to Asean requests on the regular participation of the Asean chair at G-20 summits and Washington's support for non-Apec Asean members.
Former US president George W Bush met Asean leaders three times - in October 2002 in Los Cabos, Mexico; in December 2005, in Busan, South Korea; and in September 2007, in Sydney. These meetings were on the sidelines of the Apec leaders' meetings and were limited to seven Asean members. Cambodia, Laos and Burma are not members of the Apec forum.
The US plans to open a permanent office in Jakarta with an Asean ambassador before the end of the year. China stated last month it would do the same soon.
Before he meets Asean leaders, Obama will hold a separate summit with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Obama, who skipped Indonesia this year, plans to go there next summer with his family. He spent four and half years of his childhood in the country.
Last year, bilateral Asean-US trade reached US$178 billion (Bt5.9 trillion), while US investment in Asean amounted to $153 billion.
Other key dialogue partners such as China, Japan, South Korea and India have an annual summit with Asean leaders. Russia is planning a second summit next year in Hanoi under the new Asean chair, Vietnam.
US President Barack Obama will today endorse the centrality of Asean in new regional community building and an expansive role for it in global issues, at the inaugural Asean-US Leaders' Meeting in Singapore.
Obama, who is scheduled to hold a 90-minute meeting this afternoon with the 10 Asean leaders, will also pronounce the policy of engagement with Asean as a key partner in promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
The historic meeting, which is being co-chaired by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, marks the first meeting between the leaders of the two sides. It will also be the first time in 43 years that a Burmese prime minister has met a US leader.
The draft joint statement, seen by The Nation on Sunday, touches on the whole gamut of Asean and US relations in the past 32 years related to political/security, economic/investment and social development issues.
The draft also included Abhisit's proposal of Asean connectivity, which aims at promoting infrastructure and communication links within Asean, including people-to-people contacts.
Obama will reaffirm the importance of Asean's centrality in building regional architecture, which must be inclusive, promote shared values and norms and respect the diversity within the region.
This is in line with his Tokyo speech on Asia yesterday, when he said: "Asean will remain a catalyst for Southeast Asian dialogue, cooperation and security."
The US will also express support for the Asean Inter-government Commission for Human Rights, including the track-two initiatives. Washington will invite members of the AICHR to the US to meet their counterparts.
Leaders of Asean and the US are expected to discuss regional and international issues. Topping the agenda will be the situation in Burma - particularly Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom - and North Korea. Various efforts related to transnational issues, such as climate change, energy security, terrorism, pandemics and disaster management, will also be discussed.
The outcome of a recent visit to Burma by two senior US officials will be discussed. On Burma, the leaders will stress that the US approach will "contribute to broad political and economic reforms and the process will be enhanced in the future".
Obama yesterday called for the release of Suu Kyi ahead of the leaders' meeting.
The leaders of Asean and the US will jointly urge the Burmese government to hold free, fair, fully inclusive and transparent elections next year, including a dialogue with all stakeholders.
The Asean leaders are expected to support the US call for a nuclear-free world. Together, they will call for North Korea to return to the six-party talks.
Despite the US reluctance to call its first meeting with Asean a summit, both sides have agreed to meet next year. At the meeting today, Obama is expected to invite all the Asean leaders to the US next year.
US-Asean relations have been bolstered following the new US policy towards Asia. In August, Washington signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, which further strengthened the three-decade relationship.
According to the draft statement, both sides have agreed to set up a joint Asean-US Eminent Persons Group to address regional and global issues. This group can work on issues tasked by their leaders, such as the Asean-US Free Trade Agreement.
The US has yet to agree to Asean requests on the regular participation of the Asean chair at G-20 summits and Washington's support for non-Apec Asean members.
Former US president George W Bush met Asean leaders three times - in October 2002 in Los Cabos, Mexico; in December 2005, in Busan, South Korea; and in September 2007, in Sydney. These meetings were on the sidelines of the Apec leaders' meetings and were limited to seven Asean members. Cambodia, Laos and Burma are not members of the Apec forum.
The US plans to open a permanent office in Jakarta with an Asean ambassador before the end of the year. China stated last month it would do the same soon.
Before he meets Asean leaders, Obama will hold a separate summit with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Obama, who skipped Indonesia this year, plans to go there next summer with his family. He spent four and half years of his childhood in the country.
Last year, bilateral Asean-US trade reached US$178 billion (Bt5.9 trillion), while US investment in Asean amounted to $153 billion.
Other key dialogue partners such as China, Japan, South Korea and India have an annual summit with Asean leaders. Russia is planning a second summit next year in Hanoi under the new Asean chair, Vietnam.
5 comments:
Smell the cold war back in the region. Last time it cost more than three millions Cambodian life and Cambodia is ever lost to yuons with all miseries and suffering caused to Cambodian people till today.
Can obama be different from his predecessors? Let have a doubt
one degree close, thailand is not different from Cambodia in early seventy. coup of false coup between thaksin and abhisit, let see. In seventy sihanouk asked his faithful servant lon nol to make a false coup just a pretext for him to join the yuons and communism to lead genocide against Khmer people. What about thaksin and abhisit coup? Are they repeating old method of their traitors ancestors did to Khmer angkor in some century back be able to sack Angkor? Does thaksin is sincere to hun as hun has for him? Those are questions should be asked. In any case yuon will profit this privilege occasion to prosper and extend its population, territory and influence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnNs3U2pfQw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1GgWMpSU0M&feature=related
"Yo-hak vétak hak-ror,pikhu yugn-Chhati,Put-sasné Sor-imaing Lokaing ,baphear Séti Ak-phear Mutor-vak Bantimear"
"EVEN A YOUNG MONK WHO DEVOTES HIMSELF TO THE TEACHING OF THE BUDDHA,ILLUMINES THIS WORLD AS DOES THE MOON FREED FROM A CLOUD"
For Mr President OBAMA and ECCC.
Wishing you all Best Wishes,
Ah Chheam Yeap ,i will fuck your mother ,dghter,wife, as my plan.cuz you're my birthplace traitors.
In the last cold war French, china, Russia had successfully linked Cambodia to vietcong and communist world, how USA gonna do to link Cambodia to its side today or will it sacrifice Cambodia in the stamp of vietcon and communism like in the late cold war ?
Viet and Russia always are always closed partners no matter time and space. Viet is a hardcore communism and genocidal by its ancestral culture of expansionism all by giving a façade of a new vietmess, changing, capitalist and open to the world.
A Viet is a viet no matter …
The world will be ending in2012 the scientist most prediction in the States News Papers,Mr Hun Sen finish building the Golden Coffin yet please do,Hun Sen must not enjoying free blood sucking from khmer people any longer.
Thanks God, Cambodian not living in shame and frustrating any more!
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