Asean bites the 'EU-style' bullet
Cebu, Philippines (dpa) - Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Friday adopted "bold and innovative" recommendations by a high-level advisory group for a European Union- style charter to ensure the group's survival. The recommendations include the relaxation of Asean's long-standing non-interference policy on internal matters, decision making by majority voting in certain cases, sanctions for non-compliance to agreements and creation of a dispute-settlement.
Amid concerns that some of the recommendations might be too controversial for a conservative organisation, former Philippine president Fidel Ramos said the 10-member grouping must take the bold initiative to keep up with other regions. "We must be planning the charter not just for our time, but for the next generation or even beyond because we are going to be left behind unless we project into one or two generations from now," he said.
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