ASEAN to set up nuclear safety watchdog

By JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer
Sat Jul 28, 6:13 AM ET



MANILA, Philippines - Southeast Asian countries will set up a safety watchdog to ensure that nuclear power plants in the region are not used to produce weapons or aid terrorists and other criminal groups, an official said Saturday.

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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations wants to ensure that any member countries pursuing nuclear energy programs "do not allow the exportation of certain materials which could lead to the development of nuclear power other than for peaceful purposes," said Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo.

The possibility of nuclear weapons getting into the hands of terrorists is also a concern.

"The emergence of possible non-state actors that might be eager to resort to the threat or use of nuclear weapons highlights the seriousness of this problem," Romulo said.

The 10-nation ASEAN also plans to work more closely with the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency to improve its ability to detect any violation of a treaty banning nuclear weapons in the region, Romulo said.

ASEAN foreign ministers will discuss ways to better enforce the decade-old treaty, called the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone, at an annual meeting in Manila on Monday. They are to adopt a five-year plan to ensure compliance.

The plan includes urging the world's leading nuclear powers — the United States, China, Britain, Russia and France — to declare their respect for the treaty, even if they do not formally accede to it.

The treaty bans signatories from developing, stationing, transporting, using or testing nuclear weapons in the region. ASEAN has detected no violation of the treaty since it came into force in 1997, but has been unable to persuade key nuclear powers to formally endorse it.

The five-year initiative also seeks the establishment of a regional early warning system for nuclear accidents and an emergency response plan, according to a copy seen by The Associated Press.

Romulo said ASEAN ministers would also discuss how the region, with the IAEA's help, could better detect the presence of nuclear weapons on passing foreign military warships.

Southeast Asia lies along the world's busiest sea lanes, traversed by both civilian and foreign military vessels. The United States has a heavy military presence in Asia but has traditionally refused to confirm or deny whether it transports nuclear weapons through the region or stores them on its bases there.

ASEAN was founded as an anti-communist organization during the Cold War but has evolved into a trade and political bloc. Its members — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam — have all signed the nuclear treaty.

Ahead of Monday's meeting, ASEAN diplomats were also trying to settle their differences over the creation of a human rights commission under a proposed regional charter.

Myanmar, whose military government has been condemned for rights abuses, has objected to any mention of the commission in the charter, while more liberal countries such as the Philippines are strongly pushing for it.

ASEAN decided to create a charter to become a more rules-based organization with better international bargaining power.