By Xinhua,
Jakarta : Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR) and the government Wednesday signed a bill for the ratification of the ASEAN Charter after a month of discussions in a House special committee.
Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirayudha, who attended the signing ceremony, said when the bill was passed into law, it would probably be the first time for foreign policy to be backed up by alaw. He also said through the charter, ASEAN would become a legal entity.
The signed bill would be passed on to the House’s Consultative Body (Bamus) which would also determine the date of a House plenary session where the bill would finally be passed into law.
ASEAN leaders signed an agreement in November last year to ratify the ASEAN charter before the holding of the 14th ASEAN Summit in December this year in Bangkok, Thailand.
Indonesia is the last country in ASEAN 10 members to ratify the charter.