Asia-Europe Forum Admits 13 New Members in First Expansion
AP 2004/10/7
Vietnam
Asian and European leaders welcomed the addition of 13 countries today to an inter-regional forum aimed at cementing economic and political ties between the two continents, despite an ongoing rift over the admission of military-ruled Myanmar.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai presided over an elaborate outdoor ceremony to formally add 10 countries that joined the European Union in May and three Southeast Asian countries to the biennial Asia-Europe Meeting, known as ASEM.
"An enlarged ASEM with 39 members makes up 40% and 50% of the world's population and GDP, respectively," Khai said. "With this, ASEM emerges as a political and economic entity fully capable of playing an important role in world peace, security and development."
As European and Asian leaders stood on a large stage, a military honor guard raised the colorful flags of the new members behind them.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen spoke on behalf of the three new Asian members, his country, Laos, and Myanmar, thanking ASEM for its "unanimous decision to welcome the three countries into the great ASEM family."
His simple speech belied the continuing controversy surrounding Myanmar's attendance. This year's summit was nearly canceled because of bitter disputes over the admission of military-ruled Myanmar, whose poor human rights record has angered European members.
Underscoring the sensitivities over Myanmar, several European leaders chose to skip the enlargement ceremony, including French President Jacques Chirac and Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who was to arrive in Hanoi late today.
The new nations join the original 25-member ASEM forum that has already brought together Asian economic powerhouses such as China, Japan and South Korea and European stalwarts including France, Germany and Britain.
European members had initially threatened to boycott the meeting if Myanmar's hardline military leaders, including Senior Gen. Than Shwe, attended the summit.
Southeast Asian members in turn promised to retaliate by blocking the admission of the EU's 10 newest members, including eight Eastern European countries, Malta and Cyprus.
But a last-minute compromise in which Myanmar agreed to send a lower-level delegation was reached last month, allowing the meeting to convene on Friday.
"They really wanted to continue this forum," said Yeo Lay Hwee, executive director of the Singapore Institute of International Relations. "There is a need to strengthen this Asia-Europe link. Asia and Europe are both looking to the U.S. and not to each other. That's the reality. But there's also recognition that it's not healthy."
ASEM was first set up in 1996 as an informal forum for Asian and European nations.
But in recent years, the Asian financial crisis and Europe's wars in the Balkans distracted the forum's member nations.
This year's addition of 13 new nations is seen as a rejuvenation of the organization.
"Europe and Asia's common interests and shared objectives, from countering terrorism, tackling climate change, to developing our trading links, mean that dialogue, understanding and cooperation between us is more necessary than ever," said British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who is stepping in for Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The meeting includes Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, and South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun for the Asian side. France's President Jacques Chirac and Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder are the European elder statesmen.
Though much of the forum's early talks focused on economic cooperation and greater trade and investment opportunities, the meeting also deals with political and security concerns. This year's talks are expected to include nuclear tensions on the Korean Peninsula, global terrorism, the chaos in Iraq, and Myanmar and human rights.
The European members of ASEM are Austria, Belgium, Britain, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. The European Commission is also a member.
The Asian members are Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.
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