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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MANILA 000179 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PTER ECIN XE CH JA KS KN RP
SUBJECT: SUCCESSFUL ASEAN-RELATED SUMMITS IN CEBU 
 
REF: A. MANILA 128 
     ¶B. MANILA 105 
     ¶C. 06 MANILA 4935 
     ¶D. 06 MANILA 4855 
 
MANILA 00000179  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶1.  (U)  Summary.  The 12th ASEAN Summit, 2nd East Asia 
Summit, and related leaders' meetings concluded in Cebu on 
January 15.  Participants appeared highly satisfied with the 
outcomes, which included a new ASEAN convention on terrorism, 
tough language to North Korea, a pledge for greater East 
Asian efforts on energy security, a commitment to accelerate 
ASEAN economic integration by five years to 2015, a new 
agreement on trade in services with China, and one step 
closer to an ASEAN Charter.  Timor Leste and France acceded 
to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.  The Philippines was 
clearly delighted that the events went smoothly and safely. 
We will report in more detail on the substantive contents by 
septel.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (U)  Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo 
concluded the January 10-15 series of ASEAN-related meetings 
and summits by highlighting to the international press their 
success in contributing to "more prosperous and safer 
communities, a region of peace and stability, and a world of 
goodwill and friendship," with ASEAN as the "hub and core of 
East Asia."  The heads of government or state of all ten 
ASEAN members as well as of six other participants in the 2nd 
East Asia Summit -- Australia, China, India, Japan, New 
Zealand, and South Korea -- all attended meetings in Cebu 
province, although the Indonesian president did not remain 
for the actual EAS session on January 15. 
 
Strategic issues 
---------------- 
 
¶3.  (U)  CT:  A key achievement from the ASEAN Summit on 
January 13 was the adoption of an ASEAN Convention on 
Counterterrorism, which will take effect when at least six 
member states have ratified it.  Under the convention, 
members commit to: 
--  provide early warning to prevent commission of terrorist 
acts; 
--  prevent terrorists from using their territories to plan, 
finance, or commit terrorist acts elsewhere; 
--  prevent terrorist financing; 
--  prevent movement of terrorists; 
--  enhance cross-border cooperation; 
--  enhance intelligence exchanges; 
--  develop regional databases; 
--  improve capabilities to deal with chemical, biological, 
radiological, nuclear terrorism as well as cyberterrorism; 
--  ensure fair treatment for suspected terrorists taken into 
custody; 
--  communicate without delay to the nearest representative 
of the State of which a detainee is a citizen and to allow 
consular visits; and, 
--  refuse extradition requests in cases of a "political 
offense" or an "offense inspired by political motives." 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  DPRK:  The chairman's statements from the ASEAN 
Summit, the ASEAN   3 Summit, and the EAS contained 
progressively tougher language on North Korea.  The EAS 
Chairman's statement expressed "grave concern" over the North 
Korean nuclear test and urged the DPRK "to desist" from 
further tests and to "take concrete and effective steps to 
fully implement" the September 2005 Joint Statement and to 
rejoin the NPT.  It called upon North Korea to address the 
international community's "security and humanitarian 
concerns," including "the abduction issue."  It voiced 
"strong support for the Six Party talks" and "our conviction 
that the Talks should result in more tangible progress."  It 
urged North Korea to respect UNSCR 1695 and 1718.  (According 
to a senior Japanese emboff, the specific reference to the 
abductions and the explicit call for North Korea to implement 
the UNSCRs, which had been missing from the ASEAN Chairman's 
statement, had been key goals for Japan in this section.) 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Burma:  The EAS statement was silent on this 
issue.  The ASEAN Summit chairman's statement, however, 
"encouraged Myanmar to make greater progress towards national 
reconciliation" and called for the "release of those placed 
 
MANILA 00000179  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
under detention," without citing Aung San Suu Kyi or others 
by name, as Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo had 
done after the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (ref a). 
Indonesia's behind-the-scene efforts to convince Burma to 
invite three ASEAN Foreign Ministers to visit were not 
successful, according to a senior Indonesian emboff. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Security cooperation:  The ASEAN chairman's 
statement also welcomed a first-ever ASEAN Defense Ministers' 
meeting.  Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff 
General Esperon privately told Pol/C that no date had been 
set, and commented that it might not take place until after 
the adoption of an ASEAN Charter, which would reflect the 
evolving nature of ASEAN from a primarily economic forum into 
a more comprehensive organization. 
 
¶7.  (U)  Energy:  The "Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy 
Security" adopted by the EAS participants highlighted the 
"urgent need to address global warming and climate change" 
and called on the sixteen countries -- individually -- to 
take "concrete action" on efficiency and conservation, 
encourage the use of biofuels, promote clean use of coal, 
seek affordable energy at "all economic levels," and 
encourage energy investment "through greater private sector 
involvement." 
 
Social issues 
------------- 
 
¶8.  (U)  President Arroyo highlighted in her public remarks 
the "payback" that ordinary Filipinos as well as other 
citizens of ASEAN members could expect from the weekend's 
achievements.  Among these are: 
--  an "ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of 
the Rights of Migrant Workers."  ASEAN members committed 
themselves to promote the "full potential and dignity" of 
such workers -- and their family members, a controversial 
point -- and to provide legal and social protections and 
assistance, while at the same time working to prevent 
trafficking in persons; 
--  a new "mutual recognition arrangement on nursing 
services" will especially benefit Filipino nurses, who 
already make up an important pool among the millions of 
Overseas Filipino Workers (including in the U.S.), although 
it is not clear how much other ASEAN countries will benefit; 
--  after a UNAIDS briefing that called the HIV/AIDS 
"epidemics" in ASEAN the "most severe" in all of Asia, the 
ASEAN members agreed to strengthen national programs and also 
adopted the Third ASEAN Work Program on HIV and AIDS through 
2010; 
--  an expression of support for the Philippine "debt for 
equity" proposal raised by Philippine Speaker of the House de 
Venecia (who briefed the ASEAN leaders); 
--  agreement to prepare an "ASEAN Leaders Declaration on 
Environmental Sustainability," in part to deal with 
transboundary haze pollution, for adoption at the 13th ASEAN 
Summit; 
--  Chinese and Japanese offers to host training seminars and 
workshops in poverty alleviation, women, and disaster 
management, in addition to a separate Japanese proposal for 
disaster reduction/preparedness education through the Asia 
Disaster Reduction Center; 
--  a Chinese proposal to set up a regional monitoring 
network on infectious diseases; 
--  a Japanese pledge of an additional USD 67 million against 
avian and pandemic influenza; and, 
--  acknowledgment of the importance of interfaith and 
intercultural dialogue. 
 
Economic integration 
-------------------- 
 
¶9.  (U)  Freer trade: The ASEAN leaders agreed to move up the 
timetable for an ASEAN Economic Community from 2020 to 2015, 
including free movement of goods, services, investment, and 
skilled labor, as well as "freer" flow of capital.  At the 
same time, they welcomed ongoing ASEAN free trade agreement 
negotiations with China, Japan, South Korea, India, 
Australia, and New Zealand, and encouraged "all" dialogue 
partners to work with ASEAN on FTAs.  They welcomed Vietnam 
into the World Trade Organization and expressed support for 
 
MANILA 00000179  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
the resumption of the Doha Round. 
 
¶10.  (U)  China: Ministers from ASEAN members and China 
signed a "Trade in Services Agreement," which will enter into 
force in July 2007.  Services and service suppliers/providers 
will "enjoy improved market access and national treatment in 
"sectors/subsectors where commitments have been made," 
notably computer-related services, real estate, management 
consulting, construction and engineering, tourism, transport, 
education, telecommunications, health, recreation, 
environmental services, and energy services.  Under a new 
Memorandum of Understanding between the ASEAN Secretariat and 
the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, China agreed to provide 
an expanded program of training and technical assistance for 
ASEAN member states.  At the ASEAN-China Summit, ASEAN and 
China also agreed upon a new "Plan of Action" on information 
and communications technology, following up on a May 2005 
"Beijing Declaration on ASEAN-China ICT Cooperative 
Partnership for Common Development."  President Arroyo 
commented publicly more than once that "we are very happy to 
have China as our big brother in this region." 
 
¶11.  (U)  Japan:  Japan provided a grant of $52 million to 
promote the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership, 
with the goal of a formal agreement by April. 
 
¶12.  (U)  Korea:  South Korea pledged to double its Overseas 
Development Assistance to ASEAN states by 2009. 
 
¶13.  (U)  EAS:  The EAS leaders agree to launch a "Track Two 
study on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia," 
with each member to nominate its own participant(s). 
 
The Way Forward 
--------------- 
 
¶14.  (SBU)  Charter:  Following a briefing by the Eminent 
Persons Group on recommendations for an ASEAN Charter, ASEAN 
Ministers (not the leaders) agreed to set up a High Level 
Task Force to flesh out these ideas and to come up with a 
draft for consideration at the 13th ASEAN Summit in November 
2007 in Singapore.  According to the "Cebu Declaration on the 
Blueprint of the ASEAN Charter," the ASEAN leaders envision 
the Charter to provide an "enhanced institutional framework" 
and a "legal personality" to ASEAN.  President Arroyo 
described this initiative as turning ASEAN into a "rules 
based organization."  According to ASEAN diplomats, the new 
approach might drop the tradition of consensus, at least on 
some issues, and might include possible sanctions (including 
loss of membership).  The Eminent Persons Group had 
highlighted the importance of democracy and good governance, 
and there was considerable discussion about invocation of 
possible eventual sanctions in cases of extra-judicial 
changes of government. 
 
¶15.  (SBU)  Bigger EAS?:  Both Timor Leste and France 
formally acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation on 
January 13, represented by the Foreign Minister and Minister 
for European Affairs, respectively.  (Timor Leste's Prime 
Minister was also present.)  The two countries may now be 
eligible to participate in the 3rd EAS, but Timor Leste 
Foreign Minister Guterres told Pol/C that he was not sure his 
country would be "ready" by then in light of the number of 
meetings this would entail. 
 
Protests 
-------- 
 
¶16.  (U)  Philippine security forces, including the 
Philippine National Police as well as the Armed Forces of the 
Philippines and the Coast Guard, were visibly and extensively 
present throughout the three towns in Cebu province where 
meetings took place and where delegations resided.  Several 
attempts at demonstrations were nipped in the bud by 
authorities.  One of the most creative was a "Swim Against US 
War of Terror, Plunder, and Intervention" in the waters near 
the Presidential palace in Cebu.  The protesters claimed that 
the new ASEAN pact on counterterrorism would facilitate the 
"entry of nuclear arms and weapons of mass destruction" as 
well as assist in the "plunder" of Philippine fisheries and 
mineral resources by the U.S.  There were scattered signs 
 
MANILA 00000179  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
around town calling for "U.S. out of ASEAN." 
 
Satisfied hosts 
--------------- 
 
¶17.  (SBU)  Philippine senior officials in Cebu appeared 
uniformly pleased with the outcome of the various meetings 
and clearly relieved that potential threats from terrorism -- 
or bad weather, which had forced delay of the original 
December meeting dates (ref c) -- did not materialize to 
tarnish the Philippine role as host.  Philippine organizers 
proudly told the press that the Philippine expenses 
(reportedly more than US$ 20 million) were worth every penny 
in terms of the heightened visibility of Cebu in particular 
and the Philippines in general.  Philippine House of 
Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Antonio 
Cueno, who represents Cebu, told Pol/C that he was "ecstatic" 
at the success of the summits.  Embassy will seek more 
substantive read-outs from DFA and other contacts once they 
return to work in Manila. 
 
 
Visit Embassy Manila's Classified SIPRNET website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm 
 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
Classified SIPRNET website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/ 
KENNEY