BORDER CONFLICTS AMONG SOUTHEAST ASIAN COUNTRIES SOLVABLE UNDER ASEAN CHARTER

Jakarta, Oct 21 (ANTARA) - Indonesia is hoping that border conflicts among ASEAN member countries can be settled through peace negotiations based on the ASEAN Charter, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said.
Speaking at a House of Representatives (DPR) plenary session on Tuesday, the minister said the ASEAN Charter would be able to strengthen the preent loose bonds among ASEAN member countries to become a community with stronger friendship values.
He said ASEAN was able to promote friendship values easily in every member country. Therefore, border conflicts could henceforth be settled without resorting to military force.

On the same occasion, the chairman of the House's ASEAN Charter Ratification Special Committee, Marzuki Darusman, opined the ASEAN Charter needed to specify clearly the decision-making procedure within ASEAN through a consensus mechanism.
On the other hand, there was a need to impose firm sanctions on ASEAN member countries that fail to implement the provisions in the charter.

The people should be involved in supervising the charter's implementation in a bid to improve ASEAN cooperation, Darusman said.

The House plenary session led by Vice Speaker Muhaimin Iskandar eventually unanimously agreed to pass a bill ratifying the ASEAN Charter.