Draft of landmark ASEAN Charter undergoes scrutiny at 40th ASEAN ministerial meet
Posted by Delbert on July 21st, 2007
Draft of landmark ASEAN Charter undergoes scrutiny at 40th ASEAN ministerial meet
Tacloban City (July 21) — The draft of the landmark ASEAN Charter will pass through rigid evaluation and study by the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations who will meet at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on July 29 for the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.
The ministers’ comments and revisions will then be incorporated and presented for consideration and approval by the ASEAN leaders during the 13th ASEAN Summit to be held in Singapore in November of 2007.
If approved by the ASEAN leaders, the ASEAN Charter will pave the way for the eventual transformation of the regional grouping, which was founded in Bangkok, Thailand on August 8, 1967, into a more formalized structure after the manner of the European Union.
It would be recalled that an Eminent Persons Group (EPG) was created by the ASEAN Leaders at their 11th Summit in Kuala Lumpur to prepare the blueprint for the charter.
A blueprint was submitted by the EPG during the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu last January, containing the principles, values, commitments and vision the EPG was recommending for inclusion in the eventual ASEAN Charter. Former President Fidel V. Ramos represented the Philippines in the EPG.
The ASEAN Leaders then created the High Level Task Force on the Drafting of the ASEAN Charter (HLTF) during the Cebu Summit chaired by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The HLTF, led by Ambassador Rosario G. Manalo of the Philippines, will submit the first draft of the charter during the Manila AMM.
The proposed charter will provide for the legal institutional framework to support the realization of ASEAN goals and objectives that proceed from its values, principles and commitments.
The Department of Foreign Affairs informed that in particular, the proposed Charter will codify all ASEAN norms, rules and values; reaffirm principles, goals and ideals contained in ASEAN’s milestone agreements; confer a legal personality to ASEAN; and determine the functions and develop areas of competence of key ASEAN bodies and their relationship with one another in the overall ASEAN structure.
Former President Fidel B. Ramos’ late father, the late Foreign Affairs Secretary Narciso Ramos, was one of the five original signatories to the Bangkok Declaration that saw the birth of ASEAN 40 years ago.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!