Australia inks Asia pact, rejects “puerile” remark

By Clarence Fernandez

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Australia signed a peace treaty
with its Southeast Asian neighbors on Saturday and rejected
what it called puerile comments about it being America’s deputy
sheriff in the region.

“I think even you could move beyond the puerile allegations
of deputy sheriff,” Australian Foreign Minister Alexander
Downer snapped at a reporter when asked about the role often
ascribed to Australia as a proxy for Washington in the region.

Downer was speaking at a news conference in the Malaysian
capital moments before he signed the Treaty of Amity and
Cooperation in Southeast Asia, which calls for signatories not
to interfere in each other’s internal affairs.

The treaty was born within the 10-member Association of
South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which made signing the pact a
condition for entry into next week’s inaugural East Asian
summit.

Australia hesitated to sign the treaty, saying it might
conflict with its existing security arrangements with the
United States, but reconsidered when it became clear that
Canberra would not be invited to the summit without its
signature.

“Being part of the East Asia summit, that’s a quid pro quo
we are happy to live with,” Downer said, adding that Australia
had received guarantees from ASEAN that its signature on the
treaty would not disturb its existing treaty arrangements.

Australia’s entry into the East Asia summit, along with
ASEAN states and Japan, China, South Korea, India and New
Zealand, follows the 2003 retirement of former Malaysian
premier Mahathir Mohamad, who had always opposed its membership
in Asian forum.

Mahathir routinely calls Australia the deputy sheriff of
Washington in Asia.

“Now Australia is basically European and it has made clear
to the rest of the world it is the deputy sheriff to America,”
Mahathir told a news conference on Wednesday.

Mahathir, who first pushed for a summit of East Asian
leaders 14 years ago, said he felt the inclusion of Australia
and New Zealand had subverted the development of a genuinely
Asian forum.

“We are not going to have an East Asian summit. We are
going to have an East Asia-Australasia summit,” he said.

In contrast, Malaysia’s new administration, under
Mahathir’s successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has struck a much
more welcoming tone with Australia.

“I think the fact that they have subscribed to the Treaty
of Amity and Cooperation shows that geopolitically and
geoeconomically they want to be part of this region and to
participate and contribute. We welcome this,” Malaysian Foreign
Minister Syed Hamid Albar told reporters on Saturday.