EU links "terrorism" conditionality to cooperation with ASEAN

JAKARTA (AFX) - The European Union said it wants better security ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to help strengthen the regional grouping and enable it to tackle terrorism more effectively, according to a document released here.
'A strong ASEAN is probably the best guarantee for peace and stability in the region,' said the document circulated at a meeting of European and ASEAN ministers in Jakarta.
It said the fight against terrorism is a paramount concern for the EU, which will also use the meeting to discuss tsunami reconstruction, trade and crime, including money-laundering and human trafficking.
'Many problems, such as terrorism, environmental degradation, diseases, organised crimes, are truly global in their nature and can only be addressed effectively through international cooperation,' the document said.
A series of major extremist attacks has hit Southeast Asia in recent years, culminating in the Octr 2002 Bali bombings, in which 202 people were killed.
That attack and others have been blamed on the Jemaah Islamiyah terror group, believed to have ties with Al-Qaeda and other radical Muslim groups in the region.
Europe will also drive home a strong message on human rights, making it the 'essential element' of any dialogue between the two regions, the statement said.
The EU has used its support as a tool to encourage other nations to respect human rights and exercise democratic principles. It has tried to press Myanmar on political reform and the release of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who attended the one-day meeting, said in commentary in the Jakarta Post that Myanmar remains a major cause for concern.
'I am deeply saddened by the situation in Myanmar,' she said.
'There have been encouraging strides toward deeper democracy across the region, led by the unprecedented, peaceful and democratic elections of 2004 held in Indonesian, but also in Cambodia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
'To my dismay the junta in Myanmar seems content to remain an exception to this trend. I regret this issue still casts a shadow over EU-ASEAN relations.'
The EU said it also wants to focus on revamping judicial systems, as well as issues such as migration, piracy, organized crime and drugs.
Economically, the EU wants to galvanize trade with the region through an expansion of existing EU-ASEAN trade agreements, the statement said.
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