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NEWS - EU's Ambitious Goals for Coo



Subject: NEWS - EU's Ambitious Goals for Cooperation with Asia

Rights-Europe: EU's Ambitious Goals for Cooperation with Asia

               Inter Press Service
               30-MAR-99

               BONN, (Mar. 29) IPS - Despite persistent differences on
               human rights, the European Union (EU) has made it clear
it
               has ambitious goals for closer and sustainable
cooperation
               with Asia. 

               This, according to German foreign minister Joschka
Fischer,
               might in the long run also lead to the creation of "a
stable
               world financial and monetary system" and the
establishment
               of a "Euro-Asian free trade zone." 

               Fischer chaired a one-day meeting in Berlin today of 15
EU
               foreign ministers and their counterparts from ten Asian
               countries: Brunei, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the
               Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and
Vietnam. 

               Overhanging the discussions was the fact that NATO
               warplanes went into the sixth day of their offensive
against
               Yugoslavia, which has been opposed by China and Russia,
               permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. 

               The U.S.-led allies that have joined the air strikes
include
               Britain and France, the two other permanent Security
               Council members, as well as Germany, Italy and Spain. 

               Fischer explained that NATO's main concern was to put an
               end to the human tragedy in Kosovo which had been
               unleashed by the actions undertaken by the government of
               Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. 

               This was the second so-called Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)
               of foreign ministers convened by Germany which holds the
               six-monthly EU presidency until the end of June. 

               ASEM was set up in Bangkok in 1996 by the heads of state
               and government of 10 Asian and 15 European countries,
               together with the European Commission, with a view to
               fostering political dialogue, reinforcing economic
               cooperation, and promoting coordination in a wide range
of

               other issues. 

               Stressing the significance of ASEM -- which held its
second
               summit in London last year under the British presidency
--
               Fischer said the enlarged EU and East Asia, taken
together,
               would account for almost 50 percent of the world
population
               and more than half of the global economic output. 

               "Both regions will thus be among the heavyweights of the
               multi polar world of the 21st century," he added. "The
more
               we coordinate and cooperate with one another, the more we
               will be able to make our mark on the world's destinies,"
the
               German foreign minister pointed out. 

               "Our approach is not about excluding anybody and, lest of
               all, as some suspect, about creating a counterweight to
the
               United States," he explained. "Rather, we aim to
establish an
               open partnership which will benefit not only our two
regions
               but will also make a contribution towards mastering the
               global and momentous tasks facing humankind." 

               Observers noted that Fischer -- a member of the Green
               Party which, while in opposition, has been vocal on human
               rights -- was at pains to take into account Asian
sensitivities
               on human rights, without avoiding the controversial
issue. 

               The European Union insisted that Burma be kept out of
               participating in the EU-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting
               because of the treatment meted out to democracy leader
               Aung San Suu Kyi. 

               This plea was rejected by the ASEM members of the
               ASEAN. Subsequently the meeting scheduled for tomorrow
               was cancelled. 

               Suu Kyi's husband Aris died on Mar. 27 in a London
hospital
               on his 53rd birthday. He was not permitted to visit his
wife, a
               Nobel Prize laureate in Burma. 

               The German foreign minister said the key lesson to be
               learned from the Asian economic crisis was that good
               governance based on human rights, the division of power,
a
               functioning legal and constitutional democracy as well as
the
               protection of environment, were the best prerequisite in
Asia
               for peace and successful economic development. 

               Those East Asian countries which had a firm democratic
               foundation in place when the crisis hit, or who launched
               democratic and rule-of-law reforms in its wake, either
had felt
               relatively few repercussions of the crisis or recovered
from it
               sooner than expected, Fischer noted. 

               "When we Europeans keep underlining the importance of
               human rights, this has nothing to do with interference or
               Western arrogance," Fischer said. 

               His words, according to observers, were an attempt to
               bolster discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Tang

               Yiaxuan who has been in Germany since Mar. 26. 

               Bonn Foreign Office sources said that tang had admitted
               "deficits" in the rights situation in his country, but
had stated
               that "the situation was improving with every passing
day." 

               The Chinese plea for adherence to mutual respect while
               talking in particular about human rights was backed by
the
               Thai foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan, who is one of the
two
               ASEM coordinators along with his South Korean counterpart
               Hong Soon-Young. 

               South Korea was scheduled to host ASEM 3 next year,
               building upon the agreements achieved last year in London
               which envisaged openness and transparency, a commitment
               to financial restructuring -- both domestically and
               internationally, and the keeping open of 
               markets in both Europe and Asia. 

               ASEM 2 adopted an Asia-Europe Cooperation Framework to
               guide, focus and coordinate ASEM activities towards ASEM
               3 and beyond. 

               With venues alternating between Asia and Europe, the
fourth
               ASEM will be held in Europe in 2002. The meeting also
               decided to continue discussions on the possible expansion
               of ASEM membership in the future. 

               The Asia-Europe Vision Group was commissioned by ASEM
               2 to help develop a medium to long-term vision to guide
the
               ASEM process. 

               The Group set up three working groups: man and society,
               market and governance. 

               According to official sources, the ASEM discussions in
Berlin
               revealed "a greater proximity" on economic and financial
               questions than on foreign and security policy. 

               Nevertheless, the two sides discussed many of the "new"
               security issues such as terrorism, drugs, the security of
               computer networks, the green house effect. 

               The expectation at the German presidency of the EU was
               that Europe and Asia would increasingly share the same
               agenda in foreign policy. "This includes traditional
threats to
               security, as shown by the nuclear tests on the Indian
               subcontinent, Fischer declared. 

               "In this field in particular, we urgently need joint
action to
               effectively curb the horrific dangers inherent in a
further
               proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their
               delivery vehicles worldwide," the German foreign minister
               said. 

               Three of the ASEM members -- Britain, France and China --
               are nuclear power states, having a permanent seat in the
               United Nations Security Council, which was instituted to
               prevent war and strengthen worldwide diplomacy.