COC Not Instrument To Resolve South China Sea Territorial Disputes

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- The proposed Code of Conduct (COC) for the South China Sea should not serve as an instrument to resolve territorial and jurisdictional disputes in the South China Sea between the parties concerned, said Malaysia's Foreign Minister Anifah Aman. He said Malaysia had always believed that the existing disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved between the parties concerned based on existing mechanisms as provided for under international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Asean foreign ministers including Anifah met in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Monday where they discussed developments in the South China Sea. In a statement made available to Bernama here Tuesday, Wisma Putra (Foreign Ministry) said Malaysia commended the progress in the drafting of the COC for the South China Sea. The COC is aimed at creating a rules-based framework in managing the conduct and activities of parties in the South China Sea and would strengthen Asean's efforts and commitment to build mutual trust and confidence, aimed at maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region. Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, China and Taiwan have jurisdictional and territorial overlapping claims in the South China Sea. The meeting also dicussed matters regarding the Asean Community-building efforts such as the operationalisation of the Asean Institute for Peace and Reconciliation. According to the statement, Malaysia's interventions focused on Palestine, developments in Myanmar, progress of the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) and the South China Sea. On Myanmar, Malaysia welcomed the reaffirmation by the government of Myanmar that the on-going reform was irreversible. Malaysia also appreciates the positive responses from the United States and other developed countries, especially the easing of sanctions on Myanmar so as to further encourage Myanmar government's ongoing efforts of democratisation and political reconciliation. Malaysia stressed that any form of sanctions on Myanmar would not bring any favourable result and on the contrary, sanctions would only impose hardship on the people of Myanmar. At the meeting, Anifah also spoke on the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) which was adopted by the Asean leaders as an Asean common initiative in April. He informed the meeting that Malaysia had established the GMM Foundation and was working closely with the Asean secretariat to formulate the Plan of Action for the GMM. The ministers attending the meeting also expressed their appreciation for the services of Dr Surin Pitsuwan, whose tenure as Asean Secretary-General will end this December, and supported the nomination of Le Luong Minh from Vietnam as his replacement. The Asean leaders are expected to endorse the nomination during the Asean Summit this November. -- BERNAMA