ID :
365218
Tue, 04/28/2015 - 07:30
Auther :

South China Sea: Parties Involved Must Adhere To DoC

KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Bernama) -- ASEAN leaders have agreed that parties involved in the territorial claims in the South China Sea must adhere to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DoC) in the South China Sea signed in 2002 to maintain the status quo in the disputed waters. Prime Minister Najib Razak said that ASEAN leaders also wanted the resolution on the Code of Conduct (CoC) drawn up as a guideline to avoid any friction or conflict in the disputed area to be expedited. Addressing the media after chairing the 26th ASEAN Summit here Monday, he said the dispute in the South China Sea should be resolved in a constructive and amicable way. In this regard, the prime minister said that ASEAN would continue with its principle of resolving differences and disputes through peaceful means in line with universally recognised law, especially the United Nations Convention of Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). "China understands our position and we hope to be able to influence China. It is also in their interest not to be seen as confronting ASEAN. Any attempt to destabilise ASEAN will not benefit China either," he said. The overlapping territorial maritime claims in the resource-rich South China Sea involve Brunei, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, China and Taiwan. International media had reported that construction work was booming in the South China Sea in the area whose sovereignty is disputed by the six parties. Among others, the reports mentioned that according to new satellite images, China was making rapid progress in building an airstrip suitable for military use in the disputed territories. Najib said that ASEAN would continue with its non-confrontational approach in dealing with the issue, which has been effective in ensuring that there was no rising tensions in the region. "We can manage our differences in a very constructive and meaningful way. We will continue with this approach but when it comes to the principle, we are steadfast," he said. On the suspension of the proposal for a common time zone for ASEAN capitals, Najib said leaders opined that the matter needed to be discussed further. He said that there were countries which fully supported the proposal while some others wanted it to be further discussed because of "some domestic considerations. "So this is an on going exercise, we hope to reach some consensus when we meet in November (27th ASEAN Summit)," he said. In February this year, Indonesian President Joko Widodo during his three-day state visit to Malaysia voiced his desire to hold discussions regarding the common time zone at the regional organisation's level as soon as possible. Last month, Najib forwarded the proposal to visiting Myanmar president U Thein Sein during their talks in Putrajaya. -- BERNAMA

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