Transcript of Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo's debrief to local media following the Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta

Minister: We had a successful meeting with the Foreign Ministers here in Jakarta. It was held as an emergency meeting because of the cancellation of the Summit in Chiangmai. It was very tough for the Thai Foreign Ministry because in the middle of all these political squabbles in Bangkok, they had to do all they could to maintain the honour and prestige of Thailand. I think all of us appreciated the effort put in by the Thai Foreign Ministry very much. They even coughed up an extra budget so that the Sec-Gen Surin could pretty up the Secretariat for the meeting today. I think they actually gave him a budget of $40,000 for the renovations which was very good of them.

And we were able to get the business done, we celebrated this morning the coming into force of the ASEAN Charter. It was very gracious of President Yudhoyono to turn up, to be with us, to give a speech and then this morning, we were able to complete the key agenda items, including the implementation of the Charter, setting up the Committee of Permanent Representatives of all ASEAN countries here in Jakarta, setting up a new financial stimulant unit, approving the choice of Deputy Secretary-General for Economic Matters, who incidentally, is going to be a Singaporean, and defining the scope of an increased budget for the Secretariat, in view of these increased responsibilities. All that could be done by Ministers and Officials, we have done, but we have to think of the leaders to meet. There is a lot of symbolism in the leaders meeting, especially in the middle of a financial crisis like this. It was a pity that the Summit this week had to be cancelled, so it's important to reinstate it as early as possible.

It was quite comical last night, 10 Ministers and their representatives meeting around the table, with the diaries of their Prime Ministers in hand, trying to find a window where everybody could be free. We were able, after some luck and many phone calls, to settle on February 24 - 26 for a Summit in Thailand, probably in Bangkok. It helped a lot this morning that the Thai parliament met and elected Khun Abhisit as the new Thai Prime Minister. We know him. I know him personally. He was in the ASEAN circuit before. A very capable young Thai leader. He graduated from Oxford, is very experienced and will be an able chair of ASEAN. In fact, even before he was elected, he gave his views on how Thailand should chair ASEAN in the coming months. So we were told that with his strong majority, they are proceeding to install the new Cabinet and to present Thailand's new policy to his parliament for approval on the 26th of December. This means that he can start work quite quickly in January. So I am relieved and this relief is shared by all ASEAN Foreign Ministers. The ASEAN agenda will be back on track. It has been a worthwhile meeting even though it came rather suddenly.

Q: Sorry, I just have one clarification. You said one Singaporean would be elected to be the DG in charge of Economic Matters?

Minister: No, Deputy Secretary-General. What's his name?

Officer: Pushpanathan, Sundram Pushpanathan.

Q: Where is he from?

Minister: He works at the Secretariat right now. He was one of those put up for consideration. There was a panel which sat to deliberate on whom to be selected and in the end, this was the Secretary-General's preference, which the Ministers endorsed this morning.

Q: And the Permanent Representative to ASEAN from Singapore would be someone from...?

Minister: It's our outgoing Ambassador from Vietnam - Lim Thuan Kuan. He is all packed and ready to come here. He was our ambassador in Hanoi.

Q: Minister, you talked about how it was quite comical last night for the 10 Ministers and their representatives to meet with the diaries of their PMs to try and find a date. What has the mood been like among the Foreign Ministers, considering all this is taking place in the midst of a financial crisis, Thailand is having so much internal strife, but this is a celebration of the Charter coming into force today? What has the mood been like for the Ministers who were here?

Minister: Oh, I was very touched by the collective sense of wanting to protect ASEAN, cherishing it and pushing it forward. It was in that atmosphere that we met and discussed and in the end, settled on a window. It was not the most convenient window for everybody, but everyone tried his best to find a common window which all leaders could adapt to.

Q: Can you talk about this increase of funds from $80 billion to $120 billion for the Chiangmai initiative? Was it discussed today or...?

Minister: No, it was not discussed by us because this is a subject which the Finance Ministers of the ASEAN+3 were to have decided on. They will be meeting hopefully quite soon in Bali.

Q: So this $120 billion is not a fixed figure yet because we have been hearing from the other Foreign Ministers that it seems to be the fixed figure, that it is the new amount to be agreed upon...

Minister: It is not yet settled. It was a number that I have heard too.

Q: Maybe you can also tell us a little bit about what the Charter coming into force means for Singapore and the ASEAN network. I mean we have heard so many questions mostly from foreign journalists, that the Charter sort of qualifies the existing norms, but it is still ASEAN as a talk shop, it does not really mean much. What is your take on it? What does it really mean, the Charter coming into force, even despite the cynicism that still prevails about it?

Minister: Year by year, sometimes it seems as if ASEAN's progress is excruciatingly slow, but if you take a longer term perspective, let us say, over five years, then one cannot help but be amazed by the progress ASEAN has made, despite the many difficulties in its way. We have had crises from time to time, the crackdown on the demonstrators in Myanmar, the coup in Thailand, Cyclone Nargis, this, that and the other recent domestic difficulties in Thailand. But despite all these, ASEAN is somehow able to surmount all these crises and get back on track. So this gives us some confidence that it is a growing concern and the reason is because it is set against a wider perspective. We are facing the twin challenge of a rising China and India, and unless the 10 countries clump together, our survival chances are much worse off. So for these reasons, the political will is there to integrate ASEAN further, and to make it a stronger and more viable organisation.

It may seem a small, trite thing, but we have now settled on an ASEAN anthem which we sang at the display this morning. For many of us, it was the first time that we were hearing it. Eventually, we hope all school children in all 10 countries of ASEAN will be able to sing it. Naturally, and gradually, year by year, generation after generation, we will become closer together. Now this is really what we are trying to achieve. In the end, it helps create better conditions for peace and economic development in the region, as we create a common economic space and we find a more institutionalised method of settling disputes among ourselves. They don't always work, for instance, we had the Preah Vihear problem at the last ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting in Singapore and it is still on-going but things have calmed down.

One of the key exercises arising from the ASEAN Charter is the establishment of a good disputes settlement mechanism. We already have one in place for trade matters. What we are trying to do is to extend it to other non-trade agreements as well. In addition, there is an effort to create an ASEAN Human Rights Body, but that is a contentious subject about which we have made more progress than we could have reasonably expected two years ago. So yes, we are making progress slowly, but surely.

Q: What additional commitments would Singapore make to ASEAN now that this Charter has come into effect, specifically the human rights part of it where we talk about having to have respect, promote and protect human rights?

Minister: For human rights, we are trying to clear a bridge between those who want to go the whole haul like the Filipinos, and those who are nervous about moving too fast like the Indo-Chinese countries and Myanmar. What we want is to move at a speed which everyone is comfortable with, so that with each passing year, we can make some progress. And that is what we tried to do in Singapore - to bridge that gap, to play a helpful role.

Q: Within Singapore and in relation to Singaporeans, what would be the demands and implications on certain Singaporeans for that matter? How will Singapore meet this additional demand and additional tension...?

Minister: I don't think we would have any difficulties. We have many laws protecting the rights of different groups and protecting the rights of foreigners. It is not an issue for us, but it is an issue for some countries for whom human rights are often seen as a means by which Western countries are able to put political pressure on them.

Q: Could you explain, after the Charter has come into effect, what difference would it make to Singaporeans?

Minister: Singapore would benefit from a Southeast Asia which is more likely to remain at peace in the future, from greater economic opportunities in the region, from greater ease of travel and communication, from a freer flow of trade and investment. So we'll benefit in all those larger terms. Singapore is much better off when we have Southeast Asia which is an economic, cultural and political community than one into which we are one out of many nation states mostly bigger than we are, and we having to fend off challenges on our own. For this reason, we have always been an ardent advocate of a stronger ASEAN, and I would say that the core of our foreign policy is a strong ASEAN.

Q: Since Singapore has always called for a strong ASEAN, what would be the difference before and after the Charter comes into force?

Minister: It will not be dramatic in the sense that the day before this is ASEAN and the day after ASEAN takes a different form, but it marks a change in the gradient. With the Charter, we are strengthening the Secretariat, we have committed ourselves to faster and greater integration, and the results will be seen year by year, from now on.

Q: Minister, now that we have this Charter, and you talk about how it represents commitment from all these countries which will play by the rules that have been laid out by everybody, but what if a similar situation were to happen like in Bangkok again where there is standoff at the airport, people cannot leave the country, they have to postpone the Summit. Would other ASEAN states actually say, "Hey, you can't do this because you are inconveniencing everybody in the region", or would we still stick to the current policy of non-intervention because we see it as a domestic affair?

Minister: It is not only a domestic affair. The business of ASEAN has been affected. Inconvenience has been caused. We have as it were, bent over backwards to show our understanding for what has happened in Thailand. We know how difficult it is for Thai Foreign Ministry officials, so we try to accommodate where we can. But if the problem were to recur, then we have to respond accordingly. I don't really want to speculate. It is not good form to speculate on what we might do if this thing might happen because it is hypothetical, but I don't think the Thai officials or political leaders know.

I think they are fully aware how badly affected ASEAN has been as a result of their domestic squabbles, and they know that Thai honour and prestige have been affected. In fact, there was a statement by the Thai Foreign Ministry just last week, pleading with Thai domestic constituencies to resolve their conflicts in a manner which protects ASEAN. It was almost plaintive, asking them to bear in mind the prestige and honour of the kingdom. When I read it, I felt for the Thai Foreign Ministry that they had to issue such a statement. So I think they are fully aware of the consequences of a repeat of what has happened.

Q: Just a clarification, from February 24 to 26 is the ASEAN Leaders' Meeting and Post Ministerial Conferences?

Minister: No, the Post Ministerial Conferences and Ministerial Meeting are held in the middle of the year.

Q: Okay, but without the countries' heads?

Minister: At the minimum, it will be the ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN+3 and the EAS. Whether we have time for the ASEAN+1 Summit meetings, I think that remains to be seen.

Q: So +3 and +6 have already confirmed that from the 24th to 26th they might be able to come?

Minister: No, they have got to confirm, so we are putting up the date early. We have some indications on the windows that they are free, and we will try to accommodate them according to those indications, but I supposed diaries will have to be checked very carefully.

Minister: Thank you very much.

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