ASEAN To Intensify Efforts To Encourage Nuclear Weapon States To Accede To SEANWFZ Protocol

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 (Bernama) -- ASEAN will intensify efforts to encourage the Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) to accede to the Protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty. Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said the decision was made at Monday's meeting (picture) after the SEANWFZ Commission reviewed the progress made in implementing the treaty and its Plan of Action (POA). The Commission, he said has extensively discussed the issues relating to the Protocol to the SEANWFZ Treaty and exchange views on how best to ensure the accession of the NWS, namely China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, to the Protocol as early as possible. "The Commission agreed to intensify efforts to resolve the outstanding issues pertaining to the signing and ratifying of the Protocol by the NWS, which remains pending following the submission of reservations to the Protocol by France, Russia and the UK," he said. He said this at a media briefing after chairing the SEANWFZ Commission meeting and the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Interface with Representatives of the ASEAN Intergovermental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), here Monday. Anifah said, in this regard, the Executive Committee of the SEANWFZ Commission was tasked to continue the discussions on these reservations, which carry legal and technical implications to the SEANWFZ Treaty. He said according to the SEANWFZ Treaty and its Plan Of Action (POA), the identified measures and actions shall be undertaken by the State Parties in five years (2013-2017) with a renewed commitment and a stronger emphasis on concrete actions. The SEANWFZ Treaty, also known as the Treaty of Bangkok, was signed in December 1995 in Bangkok by the 10 member countries of ASEAN and entered into force in March 1997. Under the protocol, each of the NWS undertakes to respect the SEANWFZ Treaty, and not to contribute to any act that constitutes a violation of the Treaty or its Protocol, not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against any state party to the Treaty, and additionally, not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons within the zone. On the Interface meeting, Anifah said ASEAN reiterated its firm commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms of its people in view of the establishment of the ASEAN Community by end of this year. "I am pleased to note that the human rights elements have been very much emphasised in the drafting of the ASEAN Community's Post-2015 Vision where AICHR had contributed positively on the development of the documents, particularly on human rights issues, in all its three pillars (economy, political/security and socio-cultural)," he said. During the meeting, Anifah added that the AICHR had also expressed its readiness to implement the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on a People-Oriented, People-Centred ASEAN, which was adopted during the 26th ASEAN Summit held in Kuala Lumpur in April. Earlier, in his opening remarks during the meeting, Anifah said ASEAN was fully aware of the importance of ensuring effective promotion and protection of human rights in intensifying efforts towards realising ASEAN Community 2015. He added that this would also support and enable an ASEAN Community that is cohesive, inclusive, people-oriented and people-centred, which is uniquely ASEAN with value added features, by taking Asian values and norms into consideration as applicable to its member states. (photoBERNAMA) -- BERNAMA