India will take divergent stand on

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Subject: India will take divergent stand on Cambodia at ASEAN

India will take divergent stand on Cambodia at Asean
By Prakash Nanda

The Times of India (New Delhi), 22/7/97.

New Delhi: India will be taking a different stand from the Association
of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the prevailing situation in
Cambodia during the forthcoming ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meet at Kuala
Lumpur on July 27.

"What is happening in Cambodia is an internal development of that
country. We agreed with the ASEAN that peace should prevail in Cambodia
and that country carries. But, unlike the ASEAN, we are of the opinion
that it is up to the Cambodians themselves how they bring normalcy and
peace in their country. We need not suggest any guidelines for this" a
highly-placed official in the ministry of external affairs (MEA) told
the "Times of India" on Monday.

IT may be noted that the ASEAN wants the restoration of the Cambodian
government that existed prior to the coup by its second prime minister
Hun Sen against the first prime minister RANARIDDH. The ASEAN has
postponed granting the membership of Cambodia,  which, otherwise, would
have joined the organisation as a full member along with Laos and
Myanmar at Kuala Lumpur.

India will also differ on Myanmar situation at the ARF meet.

"It is true that our stand on Myanmar is very closed to that of the
ASEAN. But, the Western members of the ARF (apart from the seven ASEAN
members, it consist of 14 other countries, including United States,
Australia, Japan, Russia and China) are against any dealing with Myanmar
because of the nature of its regime and record on human rights. We do
not buy that logic. While we believe equally in democracy and human
rights, we , at the same time, cannot forget that Myanmar shares 1600 KM
boundary with us. We have been embassy there. Our people indulge in
border trade with that country. We cannot cease interaction with the
regime at Yangon," said official.

New Delhi, which is going to be represented by finance minister P.C.
Chidambaram, will also convey its reservation with the statement of the
chairman (Malaysian foreign minister) on the ARF's "board measure of
agreement" as distinct from "a negotiated communique" with regard to the
disarmament issues like the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

"Much should not be made out of our differences on certain issues. After
all, the ARF is an ASEAN forum, not an Asian forum on the needs for
preventive diplomacy in the region. We are in board agreement with ASEAN
strategic imperatives in the region. Then, there is the post ministerial
conference (PMC) on July 28 and 29, which will stress on the economic
interaction with the ASEAN is a priority, because it is in conformity
with our Look-East policy. In fact, we view the PMC more importantly
than the ARF", added the official.

The ARF and PMC meetings do not have a formal agenda but adopt a
consultative approach in an informal setting. Significantly, they
provide opportunity for interactions with important world leaders.