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| Asean nations sign first charter |
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| Written by Egypt News | |
| Tuesday, 20 November 2007 | |
 Leaders of the South East Asian group of countries, Asean, have signed a landmark charter committing them to promote human rights and democracyThe document, agreed by the 10 member states at a summit in Singapore, sets out principles and rules of Asean for the first time in its 40-year history. But the signing ceremony took place amid continued condemnation of the rights record of Asean member Burma. Critics say the charter will not rein in Burma's military regime. The generals sparked international outrage when they violently suppressed anti-government protests in September killing at least 15 people and imprisoning thousands more. The controversy continued at the summit, where host nation Singapore had invited the special envoy of UN to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, to make a speech. Burmese officials objected, and gained the support of the eight other member nations, blocking briefing of Mr. Gambari. According to BBC News, a senior US official had warned earlier that credibility of Asean was at stake over its handling of the crisis in Burma. One of the most significant pledges in the charter is to set up a regional human rights body. But critics say it will have limited impact as it will not be able to punish governments that violate the human rights of their citizens. Negotiators rejected some more radical plans for the charter such as enabling sanctions and possible expulsions against member states which seriously breached agreements. According to Associated Press, Mr. Ali Alatas former Indonesian Foreign Minister, who helped draft the charter, has said that of course there has been some watering down. But he said the document still represented a momentous step forward. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was similarly upbeat after the signing ceremony, saying the charter would pave the way for closer ties between member states. He added, to make Asean strong and relevant, we must accelerate and deepen regional integration. The Asean charter is a crucial step in this process. The Association of South East Asian Nations is composed of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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