GLOBAL RECESSION WILL PUT ASEAN SOLIDARITY TO TEST

SINGAPORE, Feb 25 (Bernama) - The current global economic crisis has put
members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to the test as to
whether they will stick to commitments to their organisation.

Singapore's Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo said the preoccupation of
its members to solve domestic economic woes following the global recession might
ruin efforts to make Asean a closer community.

He was speaking at the launch of a book entitled "The Making of the Asean
Charter" at his ministry here today. The book contained contributions from many
of those who were involved in drafting the Asean Charter.

Yeo said this year would be a difficult one for all Asean member countries
as no one knew how long the global economic crisis would last.

He said: "It is not likely to be short. In the coming months, retrenchment
in every Asean country will rise steeply and all governments in Asean will come
under stress to a greater or lesser degree."

The minister said under such conditions, it was natural that protectionist
sentiments would rise and governments would come under growing domestic
political pressure to protect jobs and to favour local businesses.

He said Asean itself would be put to the test, and without strong
leadership, individual Asean countries in their preoccupation with domestic
economic problems might not follow through on commitments.

"The political will to make Asean an ever closer community may slacken," Yeo
said.

The minister said by the time the crisis was over "the cards would have been
reshuffled" with some countries surging ahead while others are left behind.

Yeo said the question for Asean was whether the crisis would make the
association stronger or weaker, and much would depend on the response of Asean
leaders and their collective determination to maintain solidarity under trying
conditions.

The minister hoped the Asean Charter would help Asean member countries
weather the economic crisis collectively.

--BERNAMA