U.S.Policy Toward Burma/ASEAN/US

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

The following includes info re:ASEAN/US Policy and International affairs.

Sincerely,

Julien Moe
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Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 

Fact Sheet Released by the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 
U.S. Department of State, November 6, 1997. 



The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed in 1967 by
Indonesia, Malaysia,
the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and then-South Vietnam to promote
political and economic
cooperation. The Bali Treaty, signed in 1976 by ASEAN heads of state in
Bali, Indonesia, and
considered ASEAN's foundation document, formalized the principles of peace
and cooperation to
which ASEAN is dedicated. Brunei joined in 1984, shortly after its
independence from the United
Kingdom, and Vietnam joined ASEAN as its seventh state in 1995. Laos and
Burma were admitted
into full membership in July 1997 as ASEAN celebrated its 30th anniversary.
Although Cambodia
was also scheduled to join at this time, its admittance has been postponed
due to recent turmoil in
that country. 

The Association commands far greater influence on Asia-Pacific trade and
political and security
issues than its members could achieve individually. ASEAN's success has been
based largely on its
use of consultation, consensus, and cooperation. Its role in organizing
international efforts to end
conflict in Cambodia in 1978 led eventually to the 1993 democratic elections
in Cambodia. In January
1993, ASEAN established the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) to eliminate most
tariffs on
manufactured goods between its member countries over the next 15 years. 

ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and Post-Ministerial Conference (PMC) 

Since 1977, ASEAN has established dialogue-partner relationships with other
countries with interests
in the region, including the United States. In 1993, ASEAN took the lead in
proposing the formation
of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), to include the dialogue partners and some
others. The
inaugural ARF ministerial meeting, which was held July 25, 1994, in Bangkok,
Thailand, successfully
brought together foreign ministers from all the ASEAN countries, plus
Australia, Canada, China,
Japan, Laos, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia, South Korea, the United
States, Vietnam,
and 18 representatives from the European Union (EU), to discuss regional
security concerns. 

The Bangkok meeting established the ARF as the first region-wide
multilateral forum for
consultations at the government level on Asia-Pacific security issues. The
1994 Chairman's
Statement, issued by consensus following the meeting, described the ARF as a
useful instrument for
contributing to regional security by easing tensions, reducing suspicions,
and cultivating consultation
habits. 

Since the Bangkok meeting, the United States has encouraged an active ARF
work program,
focusing on confidence-building measures, defense transparency, and
peacekeeping cooperation.
The U.S. sees the ARF as a useful forum for developing habits of
consultation and dialogue to
prevent future conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region. 

ASEAN foreign ministers meet annually, usually in July, at the ASEAN
ministerial meeting (AMM).
The annual meeting of ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) foreign ministers follows
the AMM.
ASEAN then meets with its dialogue partners for a post-ministerial
conference (PMC). Secretary
Albright led the U.S. delegation to this year's meetings in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia on July 24-29. 

The ARF is an opportunity for members to address political and security
issues in the region and
internal ARF-related issues, as well as to approve recommendations made
during the specific
working groups of the past year. Initially, the PMC agenda focused on
economic issues, but it now
also includes political and security topics. With the advent of the ARF, the
PMC has also begun to
discuss extra-regional, transnational, and global issues. 

In addition to the large annual meetings, ASEAN holds more than 260 other
sub-dialogue and
committee meetings during the year, as well as regular bilateral meetings
with each of its dialogue
partners. Intersessional ARF meetings on limited topics are also held
throughout the year. 

United States participation in the ARF and PMC offers an opportunity for
regular and
comprehensive review of matters of U.S. interest as well as a chance to
underscore the importance
of the region in U.S. foreign policy. 

At the 1997 ARF, the ministers approved a wide-ranging work plan for
1997-98. The plan calls for
two working groups on Track I (official meetings involving government
representatives) and two on
Track II (nonofficial meetings involving academics and government
representatives acting in a
private capacity) and includes: 

Confidence-Building Measures (Track I);
Disaster Relief Coordination (Track I);
Preventive Diplomacy (Track II); and
Non-proliferation (Track II). 

Two former Track I working groups are expected to continue at the technical
expert level: 

Search and Rescue; and
Peacekeeping Operations. 

U.S. and the ARF 

The United States is fully committed to remaining engaged in the
Asia-Pacific region politically,
economically, and strategically. The bedrock of U.S. engagement will
continue to be its bilateral
alliances and network of defense relationships and access arrangements. The
U.S. seeks to
complement its bilateral security ties and active engagement in resolving
real threats with support for
enhanced regional security dialogues. The ARF is the principal multilateral
regional security dialogue
in Asia, and the U.S. views it as complementary to U.S. bilateral ties. 

Economics and Trade 

The ASEAN countries, including Laos, Cambodia, and Burma, have a total
population of more than
450 million. Covering more than 2.4 million square miles, these countries
straddle strategic sea routes
linking the Pacific Ocean with the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Rich in
natural resources and
with skilled work forces and market-oriented development policies, the ASEAN
countries'
economies grew rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1996, growth rates ranged
from 6% for the
Philippines to more than 9% for Vietnam, ranking ASEAN among the
fastest-growing markets in the
world. The Asian Development Bank forecasts that GDP growth rates in ASEAN
countries will
increase by almost 8% in 1997 and 1998. 

U.S.-ASEAN Trade 

U.S.-ASEAN two-way trade reached nearly $110 billion in 1996, an increase of
more than 50%
over the last two years. Based on 1996 trade figures, ASEAN was the United
States' fourth-largest
trading partner. ASEAN is the fastest growing Asian market for U.S. exports.
Leading U.S. imports
include data processing equipment, electronic components, parts for office
machinery, and telephone
headsets. American companies located in ASEAN countries increasingly
manufacture higher
technology products, particularly electronics, for re-export to the U.S. and
to third-country markets. 

ASEAN and the U.S. have established several consultative groups to increase
cooperation as
economic integration increases. Regular meetings include the U.S.-ASEAN
Dialogue, the U.S.
Trade Representative-ASEAN economic ministers meeting, the annual Trade
Investment
Coordinating Committee (TICC), and monthly Economic Cooperation Committee
(ECC) meetings in
Washington, DC. The U.S.-ASEAN Business Council has also been established to
foster business
relationships between the U.S. and the countries of ASEAN. 

ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference (PMC) Members
ASEAN. Brunei, Burma (expected July 1997), Indonesia, Laos (expected July
1997), Malaysia,
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam 

ASEAN "Dialogue Partners"
Australia, Canada, China, European Union, India, Japan, Republic of Korea,
New Zealand, Russia,
United States 

ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Members
Australia, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, China, European Union, India,
Indonesia, Japan,
Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea,
Philippines, Russia,
Singapore, Thailand, United States, Vietnam 

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