ASEAN agrees anti-terror pact

ASEAN ministers have agreed to bolster intelligence sharing and police cooperation

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei -- Southeast Asian foreign ministers have concluded a two-day meeting in the oil-rich sultanate of Brunei with an agreement to bolster cooperation and pool resources to combat terrorism in the region.

"We recognized that terrorism is a global threat and that the disturbing acts of terrorism and transnational crimes, which continue to threaten world peace and stability, must be tackled by the international community," a communique issued Tuesday by ministers from the 10-member Association of South East Nations (ASEAN) said.

The agreement comes ahead of a meeting in Brunei later this week between the ASEAN ministers and the visiting U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The new anti-terror pact commits ASEAN members to share intelligence and increase police cooperation in order to "prevent, disrupt and combat international terrorism."

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The agreement would also commit members to cooperate in stemming the flow of funds to terrorist groups.

The pact is designed to create "a framework of cooperation" to combat terrorism in Southeast Asia -- a region that has been dubbed the second front in the war on terror.

Hotbed

With Powell currently touring the region, ASEAN members have been keen to allay U.S. fears that Southeast Asia is a hotbed for international terror networks.

Some members had initially expressed concerns that the agreement would encroach on their national sovereignty, but officials say those issues have been overcome with clauses stressing "the importance of maintaining the territorial integrity, sovereignty and unity of states."

A particular focus of the pact will be border control issues, cracking down on the widespread forgery of travel and identity papers that allow terrorist to operate.

The ASEAN agreement is expected to be followed by a joint U.S.-ASEAN anti-terrorism accord to be signed by Powell and ASEAN ministers Wednesday at the start of a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

That accord could see greater U.S. logistical assistance for operations to counter militant groups operating in the region.

American forces have already been cooperating with the Philippine military fighting Abu Sayyaf guerrillas in the south of the country.

Security forum

The annual ARF meeting is Asia's largest security forum, bringing together the 10 ASEAN members with foreign ministers from across Asia, the United States and representatives from the European Union.

Among other items on the agenda will be an ASEAN plan to develop a code of conduct with China for resolving long-standing territorial disputes in the South China Sea. (Full story.)

Another issue up for dicussion will be relations between North And South Korea, with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun among those attending the meeting.

Powell's visit to Asia is dominated by anti-terrorism issues

There is also considerable speculation that a meeting between Powell and the North Koreans could take place on the sidelines of the forum.

Any such meeting would be the first top level contact between the two sides since President George W. Bush labeled the secretive communist state part of an "axis of evil" along with Iran and Iraq.

The term sparked an angry reaction from the North and sent relations plummeting to new lows.

However, in recent weeks there have been optimistic signs that a thaw might be in progress.

Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, who is also attending the Brunei meeting, has been quoted as saying that North Korean officials were ready at any time for unconditional talks with the United States.

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