Seoul, 19/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - In Seoul Wednesday morning, the European and Asian foreign ministers put the finishing touches to three texts that will be submitted for adoption to the third Asem Summit, on 20 and 21 October: the Presidency Conclusions, a declaration on the rapprochement of the two Koreas and a "cooperation framework" for the future. They also detailed what would be the 16 projects adopted by the Heads of State (see EUROPE of 18 October, pages 11 and 12, for the presentation of the Summit).
Four topics, essentially, remained the subject of differences, and have now been clarified by ministers:
- Asem's enlargement to new countries. "The European Union would have liked a fairly broad text so as not to exclude accession of new Asian countries, notably India, in the Asem dialogue, and to allow for the automatic accession of East European countries on their joining the EU. "Asem is not the sum total of our relations with Asia. There are important countries, with democracies and flourishing economies - I'm especially thinking of India - that are not part of the dialogue", declared the European Commissioner for external relations, Chris Patten, at a press conference in Hong Kong on Tuesday. "We hope that the Asem process will remain an open and progressive process, so that new partners can still climb aboard", he added. On Malaysia's insistence, especially, that does not wish for Australia or New Zealand's accession (it does not consider them "Asian countries"), the final declaration and cooperation framework-programme will simply reiterate the dual-key system defined at the Asem II Summit in London in 1998: the two groups will each decide on their side on admissible candidates for their region, before proposing them for approval to all Asem countries.
- Reference to human rights. Having marked strong reluctance vis-à-vis such a reference, China agreed to a compromise, doubtless to avoid deadlock during its presidency of Asem meetings in 2001, noted a European diplomat. The final declaration should therefore stipulate that the "Heads of State are committed to promoting and protecting human rights, including the right to development, and fundamental rights, bearing in mind their universal, indivisible and inter-dependent nature, as affirmed at the World Conference of Vienna on Human rights". The question of human rights "is debated much more freely now than at the beginning of our relations", Commissioner Patten noted before the press. "The EU's intention is not to preach the good word, as if it had a monopoly on virtue. History of centuries past and of the 21st century show otherwise. But we believe that human rights are universal", he stipulated. In addition, "if we want a deeper relationship like the countries of Asia are calling for, we cannot exclude any subject from the dialogue, be it human rights, democracy or good governance".
The text that is to be approved at the Summit is not sufficient, but has the merit of existing, whereas before we couldn't even broach the subject, observed a diplomat.
- Commitment to the rapid launch of a new round of negotiations within the World Trade Organisation. For the first time since Asem exists, the Europeans secured from the Heads of State that they commit themselves to "intensifying their efforts with other WTO members to launch a new round as soon as possible" and for them to recognise that more balanced results would be achieved in the field of the "built-in-agenda" if negotiations are conducted in the framework of a new global round. The final declaration, however, will not comprise the undertaking to launch this round "this year". "such an objective would not have been realistic", said the chairman of the meeting of high-level representatives, responsible for coordinating Asem, Choi Young-Jing. "The compromise is satisfactory", said a diplomat.
- Reference to nuclear weapons in the declaration on Korea. The European Union and Japan had wanted the "Seoul Declaration" on Korea to reaffirm the will of Asem Heads of State to contribute to the "reduction of the threat that constitutes the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction". The Declaration, on the other hand, should simply signal the will of Asem members to contribute to the adoption of confidence-building measures and the "promotion of peace and security in the Korean Peninsula and in the region". "It is easier to remove weapons of mass destruction from a declaration than from their bunker. What's important for the EU, is to remove them from their bunker and promote stability", Commissioner Patten remarked to the press. …/..
"For what reason are the European Heads of State going to Asia, when they have other concerns at their door?", stated Commissioner Patten when speaking to the press. "From a political point of view, they are doing so because we have common concerns: illegal immigration, organised crime, money laundering, the trafficking in women and children. We also have a desire to act during humanitarian crisis, such as in Timor", he added. He also said: "from an economic point of view, in 1998 Asia represented 24% of European external trade, more than the Mediterranean, Latin American, African and Former Soviet Union countries combined. And despite the Asian crisis, European investment in Asia continues to increase: 7.8 billion have been invested in 1998 in the ASEM countries, or a growth of 13%". For Chris Patten, it is proof that the EU has held its promise not to close its commercial borders, a promise made during the ASEM II summit in London. "We have played our part in the economic recovery in Asia. The return of economic dynamism in Asia is welcome, even "if much remains to be done", he added.
"When the ASEM process started, nobody thought that we could rival with Asia-United States relations. Today, the ASEM III summit shows the wealth of our relations", noted Chris Patten. "Our agenda notably includes the possibility of talks on the WTO, information and globalisation, crisis prevention, the stable supply of energy, cooperation in the field of business, science and technology", underlined the Commissioner during his trip to Hong Kong.
Furthermore, Mr Patten indicated that European should confirm during the Summit their desire to replenish the ASEM trust fund established in 1998 under the control of the World Bank, to support the reforms of financial services and social systems. "The Commission is ready and in favour of bringing a substantial contribution and we hope that the other donor do the same", he indicated. The ASEM Ministers should, when they meeting again at the start of 2001 in Tokyo, specify the undertakings of the ASEM countries with regard to the Fund. Let us recall that the first ASEM Trust Fund had EUR 40 million, of which 15 provided by the European Commission.
