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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Leaders of Southeast Asian nations took a step on Monday, July 7, toward creating a formal body that would contribute to conflict research and resolution in the region.
Senior officials submitted the Terms of Reference of the proposed Asian Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR) during the plenary session of the 45th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the Cambodian capital.
The TOR will be ready for signing during the Asean summit scheduled in November this year, Cambodian Foreign Ministry Secretary Of State Kao Kimhorn said during a press briefing.
Introduced during the 2010 Asean Political And Security Community Blueprint, the AIPR is intended as a mechanism that would respond to conflicts involving member states. Based on the “Roadmap to 2015,” a document detailing Asean’s plans toward closer regional integration and a well-entrenched Asean Community, the institute will “compile Asean’s experiences and best practices on peace, conflict management and conflict resolution.”
The AIPR will also “identify priority research topics, with a view to providing recommendations on promoting peace; enhance existing cooperation among Asean think tanks; hold workshops, undertake studies to promote gender mainstreaming in peace building; and develop a pool of experts from Asean Member States as resource persons to assist in conflict management and conflict resolution activities.”
While Kao did not cite specific cases, it is believed that the current issue of disputed territories in the South China Sea may be directly linked to, and will likely benefit from, the proposed establishment of the AIPR.
The AIPR is only one of the many issues being tackled during the regional meet. Foremost of these is a code of conduct for dealing with competing claims in the South China Sea, which is being discussed by Asean and a delegation from China.
The COC is expected to help ease tensions as claimant countries—particularly China, the Philippines and Vietnam—have loudly asserted their sovereignty over some or all of the islands in recent weeks.
A planned signing ceremony involving the protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ), meanwhile, hit a snag when 4 of the 5 recognized nuclear power states (P5)—the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia—belatedly expressed reservations about the treaty.
“The commission has not had more time to review [the position of reservation], and the commission decided that the signing will be postponed so that we will have more time to review the text of reservation and position of reservation,” said Kao. “We do hope that the signing by the four countries can take part during the 21st Asean Summit in November this year.”
The signing of the fifth member of the P5—China—of the memorandum of understanding with Asean on the protocol to the SEANFWZ treaty will go on as scheduled on July 10, Kao said. – Rappler.com
Paul John Caña is the managing editor of Lifestyle Asia magazine and is a live music geek. Email him at pjcana@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @pauljohncana
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