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The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN), comprising Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam,
invited H.E. Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai, Deputy Prime Minister
of Thailand and the ASEAN Candidate for the post of Secretary-General
of the United Nations (UNSG), to attend a session with the
ASEAN Foreign Ministers on 24 July 2006 in Kuala Lumpur. The
session was chaired by H.E. Dato’ Seri Syed Hamid Albar,
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia and Chairman of the
39th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM)/Post Ministerial Conferences
(PMC)/13th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and attended by the
ASEAN Foreign Ministers, by the ASEAN Candidate for the post
of UNSG and by the Secretary-General of ASEAN.
At the session, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers were briefed
by the ASEAN Candidate on the latest developments in the coordinated
ASEAN campaign for the post of UNSG. These developments include,
inter alia, the joint action undertaken by ASEAN Committees
in Third Countries and ASEAN Embassies worldwide in support
of the coordinated campaign for the ASEAN Candidate and, most
recently, the participation of the ASEAN Candidate at the
Special Session of the Executive Council of the African Union
(AU) and the AU Summit on 30 June-2 July 2006 in The Gambia,
and the meeting between the ASEAN Candidate and all regional
groups at the United Nations in New York on 6-11 July 2006.
These activities are widely regarded as re-emphasizing the
ASEAN Candidate’s adherence to global good governance
and transparency in sparing no efforts to meet as many UN
Member States as possible to hear their views and their concerns
on UN reform, social and international issues throughout the
campaign. Consequently, there has been an increase in the
momentum of support for the ASEAN Candidate as well as for
Asia’s turn for the post of UNSG.
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers reaffirmed the decision taken
by the ASEAN Leaders at the 10th Summit in Vientiane on 29
November 2004, expressing their support and endorsement of
Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai as the ASEAN Candidate for the post
of UNSG, who remains the only candidate to receive endorsement
of a regional grouping. They and the ASEAN Candidate discussed
and agreed on a coordinated campaign strategy to be pursued
in the next critical months, bearing in mind the beginning
of informal consultations on the UNSG issue in the United
Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the conducting of a straw
poll by the UNSC on this issue this month. In this connection,
the ASEAN Foreign Ministers also agreed to collectively and
individually help seek support for the ASEAN Candidate from
ASEAN Dialogue Partners and other countries in the various
PMC and other meetings here in Kuala Lumpur and beyond.
As part of the continuing efforts to promote global good governance
and transparency, the ASEAN Candidate is scheduled to hold
bilateral consultations with ASEAN Dialogue Partners and other
countries during the 39th AMM/PMC/13th ARF in order to share
his vision of the United Nations and UN reform and exchange
views on aspirations and concerns of UN Member States who
are all stakeholders in the UN.
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24 July 2006
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