FED: Australia crucial in ending Asian crisis: ASEAN

AAP General News (Australia)
04-13-1999
FED: Australia crucial in ending Asian crisis: ASEAN

By Rob Taylor

CANBERRA, April 13 AAP - Australia had a critical role to play in bringing financial and
social stability back to South East Asia, ASEAN Secretary-General Rodolfo Severino said today.

Mr Severino told journalists in Canberra at the start of a four-day Australian visit that
the regional crisis had helped bring the nine Association of South East Asian Nations members
closer together on security issues and financial regulation.

But he said Australia's involvement as an ASEAN dialogue partner was also crucial.

"We in ASEAN feel that Australia has a critical role to play, not only in the economic
prosperity of South East Asia, but also in the stability and the peace of the region," Mr
Severino said.

"And so we look to the collaboration of Australia in these endeavours of recovery and
social protection, and also in examining the ways by which we can straighten out the
deficiencies in our corporate and financial sectors."

ASEAN groups Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore,
Laos and Myanmar (Burma), while Cambodia is a prospective member.

Mr Severino admitted ASEAN's prestige as the region's leading multilateral forum had been
severely dented by the Asian meltdown.

But he said far from being the harbinger of ASEAN's disintegration, the turmoil had in fact
helped bring the member nations closer together.

"The opposite has happened, and instead of ASEAN being in disarray, the crisis has impelled
ASEAN to come together closer and strengthen its cooperation and its integration," Mr Severino
said.

It had also accelerated the formation of a South East Asian free-trade area and boosted the
possibility of a single regional currency, he said.

Mr Severino said he also hoped the prickly issue of independence for East Timor would also
be sorted out soon, either through domestic efforts, or via UN-sponsored talks between
Indonesia and the troubled province's former colonial master, Portugal.

"All I can say is that we wish all of these efforts well, so that violence is reduced or
eliminated," Mr Severino said.

The island has been wracked by violence over recent months, and Indonesia's new President
BJ Habibie has promised the East Timorese will be able to decide in a ballot later this year
if they want more autonomy from Jakarta.

Mr Severino will be holding talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister Tim Fischer
during his visit, as well as Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and senior Australian
officials.

He will also be key-note speaker at a meeting here of the Pacific Economic Cooperation
Council, or PECC.

AAP rft/sc/it

KEYWORD: ASEAN

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