Transcript of Reply by Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo to Supplementary Questions in Parliament during Committee of Supply (COS) Debate (MFA) on 5 March 2007

Ms Indranee Rajah: Mr Chairman, I would be grateful if the Minister could elaborate a little more on the ASEAN Charter. What for example would be the value or the importance of the Charter as opposed to the current situation? Is it intended to be something more than just a statement of broad principles? Does it have any teeth to it? What would happen in the event if there were disputes or differences of opinion on how it is to work. Would there be a dispute settlement mechanism. Basically, how would one implement the Charter?

Minister: Mr Chairman, Sir, the ASEAN Charter is intended to be a legal document, a mini-constitution for ASEAN integration. It would be drafted as a legal document. It would have provisions which will put upon its Member certain obligations. Should there be disputes, there will be provisions for dispute settlement. It will cover all three pillars of ASEAN -- political-security, economic, socio-cultural. We had the Eminent Persons Group meet for a year and they put up ambitious recommendations which the leaders have accepted. We are now, on the basis of those recommendations, drafting the Charter. It is a very important undertaking. If you look at the constitutions of many countries, if you look at the UN Charter, once these documents are drafted, they are not easy to change. They will affect structures and systems for years to come. The moment of conception is always the most important. We are now tinkering with the DNA of the egg, which is why from Singapore's perspective, we need to pay close attention to the drafting of the Charter. Tommy Koh is our representative on the drafting committee, and 2nd Solicitor-General Walter Woon is assisting Prof Tommy Koh.

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MP Dr Ong Chit Chung: Mr Chairman Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether in discussing the ASEAN Charter, will the ASEAN Charter take a stronger position on Myanmar? Or would Singapore and ASEAN consider taking a stronger position on Myanmar now that Myanmar doesn't seem to listen to any advice?

Minister: The ASEAN Charter should contain provisions for the leaders to take action against a country that is in gross violation. The problem is this - among the leaders, they operate on the basis of consensus. But in such a situation, there cannot be consensus. This is the problem that we have posed to the High Level Task Force, which is the drafting group, and we told them that in this extreme situation, a provision should be drawn up. It is important that we separate this from the issue on Myanmar, which does not come close to that situation. I appreciate why Dr Ong Chit Chung and Mr Charles Chong feel strongly about the situation in Myanmar. I think many of us share the same sentiments. But sometimes, difficult cases make bad law. We should not use the example of Myanmar to settle what should be a long-term provision for ourselves in ASEAN.

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Ms Irene Ng: I would like to ask the Minister for his update on ASEAN's commitment to combat the haze, especially since it is expected to get worse due to the El Nino effect. It is worth mentioning that the biggest victims are the Indonesian people themselves. But suffering with them are also people in this region, including Singaporeans. Can I ask the Minister whether ASEAN has done enough to combat the haze as a regional grouping? Or does it need international help to make sure that the problem is solved once and for all?

Minister: ASEAN Environment Ministers have been meeting. They have drawn up plans to combat the haze this year. We do expect the situation to be bad because of the El Nino effect. For sure, ASEAN by itself cannot combat the haze. We have been trying for 10 years without much effect. So we do need international support and assistance in overcoming this global environmental problem.

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MP Ms Ellen Lee: Sir, can I ask the Minister, you said that there were difficulties in the negotiations with Indonesia. Could you highlight what those difficulties are, and exactly what is in the package that was supposed to be discussed between Singapore and Indonesia, particularly in the ET?

Minister: By their very nature, they are not easy agreements to negotiate - Extradition Treaty and Defence Cooperation - but we have made good progress. The officials have met many times. We have been negotiating in parallel and remaining issues are quite well crystallised now and I hope that when the Ministers meet, which means the Foreign Ministers and the Defence Ministers together, I hope that we will be able to reduce the gaps so that they can be settled when our Leaders meet. So I would not say that the issues are too difficult. I would say that they are difficult but they can be overcome.

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Mr Zainudin Nordin: Minister mentioned about the setting up of an Institute that would focus on the Middle East. May I just have an idea of the timeframe that we can expect this Institute to be set up?

Minister: We hope to have it launched this year.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
5 MARCH 2007