Excellency and Distinguished Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of my ASEAN colleagues, may I extend to you, Mr. Minister, and to the distinguished members of your delegation a warm welcome to this nnual session of the Post-Ministerial Conferences.

I am happy to observe that our cooperation has shown steady growth, both in scope and in quality. I personally feel that the ASEAN-Canada Dialogue has over the years served the interests of both sides very well.

I am also glad to learn from the proceedings of the 9th ASEAN-Canada JCC Meeting held recently in Ottawa that ASEAN and Canada share a common view on many issues of common concern. We all strongly feel that the results of the Uruguay Round should be promptly translated into action, the World Trade Organization (WTO) should be established without delay, and that all unfinished business should be completed early on. We are also concerned that new forms of protectionism and discrimination could undermine the general endeavor to shape a more equitable global trade regime. Both ASEAN and Canada look forward to a strong and effective Committee on Agriculture in the WTO. It is ASEAN's hope that Canada will be able to submit its programme for the integration of the textile and clothing sectors into developing countries in the world trade in services. We appreciate Canada for not supporting the use of trade as a means of imposing one country's standards of conduct on another, whether in the area of Tabour or the environment ASEAN holds that these issues are not relevant to the work and competence of GATT.

With regard to NAFTA and AFTA, both sideshave assured each other that their respective regional agreements will remain open and outward- looking. As AFTA transforms ASEAN into aninternationally competitive production base, we hope that Canada will find investment opportunities in ASEAN countries more attractive. ASEAN recognizes and appreciates the constructive role of the ASEAN-Canada Business Council (ACBC) in exploring ways to enhance ASEAN-Canada economic cooperation. ASEAN will continue to work closely with the ACBC in the disseminating of information on specific investment opportunities in the ASEAN region and facilitate increased interaction, especially trade and joint ventures, between the private sectors of both sides.

Excellency,

Cooperation between ASEAN and Canada has been going on for 12 years since our Economic Cooperation Agreement became effective in 1982. The renewal of the ASEAN-Canada EconomicCooperation Agreement as of 1 April 1994, is a clear indication of the desire of both ASEAN and Canada to continue fostering a mutually beneficial relationship. The new Agreement serves as a firm foundation for the expansion of our cooperation and strengthens the role of our respective private sectors in cooperation.

This is important, for while there has been a steady progress in our trade and investment cooperation over the years, we are only too aware that the potential of our cooperation in these areas has been barely tapped. There has been some growth in the bilateral trade between ASEAN and Canada recently but we feel that this can still bestepped up. We appreciate the attention that Canada has given to ASEAN access to the Canadian market through its General Preferential Tariff Scheme and Handicrafts Goods order. ASEAN is pleased to note that Canada has reemphasized its commitment to do away with or reduce as many trade barriers as possible and we hope for an early realization of the policy.

On industrial cooperation, ASEAN has identified sectoral areas where Canada has considerable expertise and where therefore, ASEAN-Canada cooperation could be strengthened.- pollution control, forestry and fisheries management, mining, bio-technology, food processing and packaging. with respect to investments, we hope that the present pattern of ASEAN-Canada investments relation can be further improved as joint efforts on trade and investment relations begin to yield results. Coupled with the expansion of the ASEAN market through the operation of AFTA, recent investment policy reforms in the ASEAN countries should make them even more attractive to Canadian investments.

ASEAN-Canada cooperation on commodities ismoving ahead positively towards enhancing trade relations, increasing participation in the development of resource-based industries and intensifying research and development on commodities in the ASEAN region. However, problems related to depressed commodity prices, farm subsidies and the anti-tropical timber campaign have yet to be addressed. We are pleased to note that the Canadian public has not been greatly influenced by the campaign against tropical timber.

Excellency,

ASEAN would like to express its appreciation for Canada's support for various development cooperation projects. I am heartened to note that since 1991 when Indonesia took over as country-coordinator for the ASEAN-Canada dialogue, these projects have been satisfactorily pursued. I should now like to seize the opportunity to share my thoughts on a number of points within the framework of ASEAN-Canada development cooperation.

The policy discussion which we launched last year has been very useful and should be continued so that both ASEAN and Canada could gain a deeper insight into each other's underlying principles and purposes in development cooperation. For us in ASEAN, development cooperation remains an important element in our external relationships. We believe that development will inevitably lead to more robust trade and investment relationship, and eventually to a stable and vibrant overall economic relationship. We fully agree that the involvement of the private sector in development cooperation projects should be gradually increased. However, it should not be at the expense of government projects.

Furthermore, ASEAN welcomes the decision of the ASEAN-Canada JCC Meeting in Canada to form a new joint body to plan and monitor our development cooperation programmes. We believe that such a mechanism will help ensure the success and increase the impact of our development cooperation. In this context, I should like to emphasize that in its work, this body should take into account the aspirations and interests of ASEAN countries as reflected in various Plans of Action of the various ASEAN Sectoral Ministers' Meetings.

These Plans of Action have laid down strategies for our cooperation inter alia in the field of environment, science and technology, social development and energy. I am therefore pleased to note Canada's positive response to ASEAN proposals on new cooperation projects in the field of environment. ASEAN looks forward to an expansion of cooperation in other fields envisioned in the Plans of Action.

Excellency,

Let me go on record here that I deeply appreciate the cooperation and understanding that Canada has shown in the development on the ASEAN-Canada dialogue relationship during Indonesia's co-chairmanship of the JCC. I am also grateful for the full support you have extended to me and to my ASEAN colleagues. I am confident that when Malaysia succeeds Indonesia as JCC co-chairman and country coordinator, the ASEAN- Canada Dialogue will continue to strengthen and to broaden its coverage.

ASEAN values the friendship and goodwill of Canada and will do all it can to make this dialogue relationship even more mutually beneficial and fruitful.