The Nation : ASEAN's relevance thre

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The Nation
13 JUly, 1998

ASEAN's relevance threatened as domestic Asian problems mount: Thai FM

posted at 13:50 hrs (Bangkok time) 

SYDNEY, July 13 -- The forward momentum of ASEAN as a regional body will be
stifled unless flexible engagement, integration and cooperation within Asia
are adopted, Thailand's Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said here Monday. 

''At this crucial time I fully believe it is essential for ASEAN's member
states to intensify their cooperation and to be ever more constructively
engaged,'' he told business leaders here. 

Mounting domestic problems in Asian countries were taking the focus off the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) whose relevance as a
regional leader in foreign policy initiatives and diplomacy is threatened,
he said. 

To counter this, ASEAN needs to consolidate unity through mechanisms such
as region-wide macroeconomic policy coordination and more flexible
engagement on issues such as drug trafficking and currency devaluation. 

''Effective regional surveillence, policies coordination and monitoring
must be translated into operational realities as quickly as possible in
order to circumvent further spread of the contagion effects,'' he said. 

For the region to progress, ASEAN must have a shared identity and common
destiny. 

He warned that if Asia failed to work together with an eye on the
long-term, World Bank warnings of a deep depression could prove right. 

''If we work together and don't submit ourselves to a herd instinct of
withdrawing, of trying to save ourselves, but look long-term, be optimistic
and support each other we will be able to avoid a deep recession,'' he
said. 

''Otherwise, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.'' 

Surin is in Australia for trade and defence talks with senior ministers.
(AFP)