By Xinhua,
Singapore : Myanmar’s ratification of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Charter was formalized here at a ceremony Monday afternoon.
In the ceremony for the deposit of the instrument of ratification for the ASEAN Charter by Myanmar, Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general of the ASEAN, said he was confident the Charter will be fully ratified by all 10 ASEAN members at the end of the year.
Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia have not ratified the Charter. Some members of the Philippine senate have threatened to block the ratification of the Charter unless Myanmar releases opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
ASEAN’s members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The Charter, expected to come into force by next year, aims to transform the ASEAN from a loose association into a rules-based organization which will encourage members to take agreements and commitments seriously.
Myanmar is the 7th member of the ASEAN to ratify the Charter.
In a Monday address to ASEAN foreign ministers, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the ASEAN has decided to press on with the ASEAN Charter’s implementation without waiting for all ten members to ratify.
Lee said the timely ratification and implementation of the Charter will itself be a signal of ASEAN’s resolve.
“The internal processes of member countries are different and some will be more difficult than others. However, the pace of the ASEAN integration should not be set by its slowest members, or else all will be held back by the problems of a few”, Lee said as ASEAN Chair.