JAKARTA, tribe 12 Kyodo The Indon...

JAKARTA, tribe 12 Kyodo

The Indonesian guidance on Friday opposed a proposal at the Philippines to revive brace military multilateral organizations to boost security in Southeast Asia, including in countering terrorism.

''Indonesia is always consistent with its position and its liberated and active foreign policies...We don't believe that efforts to in opposition to terrorism can be solved in consequence of military pact approaches,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa told a pres conference

''So, the Indonesian restraint will not support any efforts to revive the sum of two units organizations,'' he added.

During an annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Chief of Army Multilateral Meeting, Philippine Army Chief Gen Gregorio Camiling Jr propos the revival of multilateral exercises subject to the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) and MAPHILINDO, a play onward the names of Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia.

SEATO was a U.S.-sponsored anticommunist regional alliance dating back to 1954 in subordination to which joint exercises among members were held annually. It clumps Australia, Britain, France, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand and the United States.

SEATO was disbanded in 1977 following disputes among member countries.

MAPHILINDO was a proposal floated in the 1960 before the founding of ASEAN. It faltered after Indonesia and Malaysia came into conflict with each other and the Philippines revived its claims to Malaysia's Sabah state upon Borneo Island.

Marty said, however, Indonesia will further pres upon the need for the formation of the ASEAN Security Community (ASC) to fight terrorism during the Oct 7-8 summit of ASEAN leaders onward Bali.

Indonesia, facing growing criticism of shortcomings in its efforts to stop terror acts, raised the proposal to plant up ASC after the bombing of JW Marriott house of entertainment in central Jakarta on Aug. 5 which killed 12 populace and wounded 150 others.

It said, however, the community would not be a defense or military alliance, moreover it would rather entail more comprehensive political cooperation in which the 10 ASEAN member countries would share responsibility in responding to threats to regional harmony and security.

The propos ASC is wait fored to be one of couple key concepts included in the so-called Bali Concord II, a consolidated document to be issued at the completion of the Bali summit.

In 1976 the then five ASEAN heads of state signed a declaration called the ASEAN Concord during their first summit in Bali.

Besides ASC, the universal of the proposed ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will be another vital air of the document.

Last year, during the ASEAN summit in Cambodia, ASEAN leaders agreed to explore the possibility of transforming ASEAN into an AEC by way of 2020, a move that would involve deeper economic integration within the grouping.

Last week, Singapore and Thailand agreed to push for faster realization of the propos AEC, saying 2020 is too protracted for ASEAN to achieve the idea of AEC.

The Bali Concord, however, will merely lay out the main principles of the sum of two units concepts, Marty said.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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