GMA ARRIVED IN SINGAPORE LAST NIGHT FOR
APEC MEET, US-ASEAN SUMMIT
[PHOTO
AT LEFT COURTESY OF GMA-NEWS TV
ONLINE]
SINGAPORE, NOVEMBER 14, 2009 (STAR) By Marvin Sy – President Arroyo arrived here last night to attend this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting and for the first ever United States-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.
Mrs. Arroyo is scheduled to push for the enhanced partnership between the US and the ASEAN during its first summit here on Sunday.
ASEAN had chosen the Philippines as the grouping’s coordinator for the US as a dialogue partner. The position is held on a rotating basis since ASEAN dialogue partners do not choose their coordinator.
The Philippines would act as the coordinator for US-ASEAN dialogue for the next three years until 2012.
As coordinator of the meeting, Mrs. Arroyo would be seated beside US President Barack Obama, who will be the first American president to meet all 10 ASEAN leaders in the same room.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Enrique Manalo said the meeting would take about an hour with each of the ASEAN leaders allowed to speak.
President Arroyo would be the fourth to speak and according to Manalo, she would be speaking on behalf of ASEAN, specifically on the US-ASEAN Plan of Action that was signed five years ago.
Manalo said Mrs. Arroyo would go over the Plan of Action and see which areas can be improved.
“The leaders will review this to see the state of progress and next year they will prepare a new five-year partnership. The Philippines as coordinator will represent ASEAN to initiate the revised partnership Plan of Action,” Manalo said.
According to Manalo, there is no indication that the human rights issues in Myanmar would be discussed during the meeting, although the US side indicated the issue would most likely be brought up.
Several ASEAN members refused to act on pressure from the US and other nations to take stronger action against Myanmar because of its human rights violations, the most prominent of which was its continued detention of Nobel Peace laureate and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The international community has called for the imposition of sanctions against Myanmar, one of which involved expelling the nation from ASEAN.
However, ASEAN has maintained its policy of non-interference in the affairs of its member nations and believes that diplomacy is still the way to address the issue.
ASEAN leaders have emphasized that excluding Myanmar would only worsen the situation in the country.
During the US-ASEAN summit, Obama would be in the same room as Myanmar’s Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein. The White House said there would be no private conversation between the two leaders.
US National Security Council Senior Director for East Asian Affairs Jeffrey Bader said the US has been frustrated with its “inability to have interaction with Burma” which has “prevented certain kinds of interaction with ASEAN as a whole.”
“And the statement we’re trying to make here is that we’re not going to let the Burmese tail wag the ASEAN dog here. We’re going to meet with all 10 and we’re not going to punish the other nine simply because Burma is in the room,” Bader said.
In spite of the problems on this issue, the White House stated that Obama has made a strong commitment to work comprehensively with his Asian partners.
Obama has a strong affinity with Indonesia, one of the ASEAN member-nations, since he lived in the country for some time in his younger years.
The fact that Obama has agreed to sit down with all 10 ASEAN leaders in this historic meeting is, according to Manalo, a strong indication that the US wants to engage ASEAN in a broader front.
“This is the first time that they will meet all of the 10. That would suggest a new approach (by the US),” Manalo said.
Manalo said that the meeting could also take up the issues of climate change, particularly the commitments that could be made during the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark this December.
He said a joint statement is expected to be issued at the end of the meeting, the draft of which is being finalized.
“If we can come up with a joint statement, it will be a very positive one. It is expected to be a very substantive statement,” Manalo said.
Manalo said there would be mention of human rights in the statement if the draft is approved.
After her arrival at the Changi International Airport, Mrs. Arroyo proceeded to the Singapore Art Museum for the opening ceremonies of two major Philippine exhibits, “Thrice Upon A Time: A Century of Story in the Art of the Philippines” and “In the Eye of Modernity: Philippine Neo-Realist Masterworks” from the Ateneo Art Gallery.
The exhibit will run until March 2010 in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Singapore.
Mrs. Arroyo then proceeded to the Fullerton Hotel to meet representatives of the Filipino community in Singapore.
Mrs. Arroyo would attend today the formal start of the APEC Leaders’ meetings, which will be capped by an evening concert to be held at the Concert Hall of the Esplanade and a dinner.
On Sunday morning, the leaders will hold a retreat at the Istana before the closing lunch.
At around 3 p.m. the 1st ASEAN-US Summit would be held at the Shangri-La Hotel, which will be attended by Obama along with all 10 leaders of ASEAN.