• by IPS Correspondents (brussels)
• Wednesday, December 14, 1994
• Inter Press Service

BRUSSELS, Dic 14 (IPS) - Indonesia and Malaysia warned Tuesday of the possible failure of a proposed Europe-Asia summit if leaders of the European Union and their ASEAN counterparts fail to establish a pre-summit rapport.

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and The Philippines.

The two leading nations of ASEAN said that before the preparation of any summit conference between the two trading blocs leaders of both continents should first meet each other bilaterally to "sound out their thinking about moral issues".

"If the agenda only covers trade and economics, there is no problem. But if moral principles like human rights and democracy are to be discussed, we think the continents will never agree," said a Malaysian diplomat.

"If there is no communication before between the leaders of both blocs there will be no dialogue. An unprepared summit could seriously harm Asian-European relations to the benefit of other trade blocs," an Indonesian diplomat added.

"It is essential that those leaders build a good rapport with each other before they meet in a summit conference," the Indonesian diplomat continued.

The idea of a summit conference of head of states and governments of the two continents was launched for the first time by Singapore's prime minister Gok Chok Tong during a lecture before the Institute of International Relations in Paris last October.

"Asia and Europe need each other. Europe can help Asia develop, just as Asia's growth will re-invigorate the European economies. By opening a new chapter in ASEAN-European Union relations, we may also be paving a way for a new era in relations between Europe and Asia in general.

"The Atlantic institutional links between North America and and South East Asia have been established. It is timely for Europe and South East Asia to engage in a dialogue at the highest level, to forge anew this link.

"With this link, the structure of global economic relationships in the 21st century will be more stable and integrated," Goh Chok Tong said in his October speech.

According to a top EU official the foreign ministers of the member states are already thinking about a calendar for the summit.

© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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