ID :
174170
Fri, 04/08/2011 - 18:29
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https://oananews.org//node/174170
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ASEAN, Japan to agree on enhancing mechanism to facilitate aid
JAKARTA, April 8 Kyodo -
Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Japan will agree to enhance the mechanism in facilitating flows of assistance during natural disasters in their regions, according to a draft document of their meeting slated for Saturday.
The ministers will hold a half-day special meeting from Saturday afternoon to discuss ways and means to enhance cooperation in disaster management and disaster relief and post-disaster efforts.
The meeting will also aim to strengthen cooperation in pre-disaster aspects, such as prevention and mitigation and disaster risk reduction.
In the draft of the meeting's chairman's statement, the ministers will underline the need to ensure ''prompt and smooth communication in times of disasters'' as well as to enhance the ''coordination mechanism to facilitate the flows of support in a timely manner.''
Following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan, lack of coordination has been cited as one of the biggest challenges in Japan's emergency relief operations.
Many municipalities in the affected areas were reportedly unable to receive a large number of volunteers because of a limited coordination capacity.
At the same time, however, the ASEAN foreign ministers will ''acknowledge with appreciation Japan's assurance to provide information to the international community with maximum transparency on the response to the ongoing nuclear crisis.''
In this regard, they will support ''Japan's resolve to cooperate with international undertakings to improve the safety of nuclear power plants, and its willingness to share experiences learned from the accident as well as information and knowledge with ASEAN countries.''
During the Saturday meeting, the ASEAN foreign ministers will express their firm commitment ''to assist the relief and recovery process in Japan in whatever way,'' recalling Japan's ''unwavering support'' to ASEAN member states in times of need, according to the draft.
While expressing sympathy, solidarity and support to Japan and its people, the ministers will stress that ''with the increasing economic interdependency between Japan and ASEAN, the reconstruction of Japan and the economic growth in ASEAN are mutually important,'' the draft says.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto is scheduled to arrive in Jakarta on Saturday morning.
He will later meet his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa and pay a courtesy call on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono before leaving for the ASEAN Secretariat to attend the special meeting.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.
Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Japan will agree to enhance the mechanism in facilitating flows of assistance during natural disasters in their regions, according to a draft document of their meeting slated for Saturday.
The ministers will hold a half-day special meeting from Saturday afternoon to discuss ways and means to enhance cooperation in disaster management and disaster relief and post-disaster efforts.
The meeting will also aim to strengthen cooperation in pre-disaster aspects, such as prevention and mitigation and disaster risk reduction.
In the draft of the meeting's chairman's statement, the ministers will underline the need to ensure ''prompt and smooth communication in times of disasters'' as well as to enhance the ''coordination mechanism to facilitate the flows of support in a timely manner.''
Following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan, lack of coordination has been cited as one of the biggest challenges in Japan's emergency relief operations.
Many municipalities in the affected areas were reportedly unable to receive a large number of volunteers because of a limited coordination capacity.
At the same time, however, the ASEAN foreign ministers will ''acknowledge with appreciation Japan's assurance to provide information to the international community with maximum transparency on the response to the ongoing nuclear crisis.''
In this regard, they will support ''Japan's resolve to cooperate with international undertakings to improve the safety of nuclear power plants, and its willingness to share experiences learned from the accident as well as information and knowledge with ASEAN countries.''
During the Saturday meeting, the ASEAN foreign ministers will express their firm commitment ''to assist the relief and recovery process in Japan in whatever way,'' recalling Japan's ''unwavering support'' to ASEAN member states in times of need, according to the draft.
While expressing sympathy, solidarity and support to Japan and its people, the ministers will stress that ''with the increasing economic interdependency between Japan and ASEAN, the reconstruction of Japan and the economic growth in ASEAN are mutually important,'' the draft says.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto is scheduled to arrive in Jakarta on Saturday morning.
He will later meet his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa and pay a courtesy call on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono before leaving for the ASEAN Secretariat to attend the special meeting.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.
