Mr. Chairman.
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, Mr. Chairman, let me thank you for the very warm welcome which you have extended to all of us here.

If you will allow a more personal note, I should like to say how delighted I am to be back in Singapore and to see you again. Less than two months ago, I had the pleasure of enjoying your hospitality here during an all too brief bilateral visit. On that occasion, I told you and your colleagues in the Government whom I was privileged to meet, how impressed I was with the vitality of your city-state and how much I ",as looking forward to my next visit, this time in in my capacity as President of' the Council of Minister of the European Community, together with my fellow members of theTroika from Denmark, Greece and the Commission.

Mr. Chairman, I am sure that I speak on behalf of your other guests and fellow ministers when I say how- much importance we all attach to our annual meeting with ASEAN. Over the years, the I)M(' has provided a forum for frank and informal discussions on a wide range of subjects. Some of these affect your region more directly, others may be of' more primary concern to us Europeans or to our other fellow participants.

But in the end, Mr. Chairman, we arc all involved. One of the most striking consequences of' the end of the Cold War and of the political upheaval which ensued, has been our realization that the future of all regions is interlocked. That is why we are here today.


Mr. Chairman,

I leave it to my colleague of the Commission to stress the importance of the growing economic relationship between the EC and ASEAN.

If our economic relationship with ASEAN is so important, it follows that the European Community has a vested interest in the political stability of the region. The momentous events of the past three years which have seen the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War have brought about an entirely new political dimension which will also deeply affect your part of the world. There is much speculation, and none of it too soon, on what may be the outcome of post Cold--War arrangements. ASEAN has rightly seized upon this by taking the initiative of calling together a meeting of Senior Officials, along the PMC-formula, which was held here in Singapore two month ago. 'The message that came out of this conference is clear: stability and security in East Asia are vital to you as well as to the rest of the world. The time has come to discuss these regional questions in association with all parties concerned. 'The European Community participated actively in this lively debate and finds the results most encouraging. For the first time ever, questions of security in East Asia were discussed in a multilateral forum specifically set up for that purpose. Under the able chairmanship of Singapore, we managed to formulate suggestions and conclusions on a basis of consensus. A proposal was made to invite Chine, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Russia and Vietnam to meet ASEAN and its Dialogue Partners at the "ASEAN Regional Forum" in Bangkok next year. We welcome the endorsement which was just given to this proposal at the 26th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting

There issues examined at the Senior Officials meeting in May remain the Subject of attention as witnessed by the discussion which took place at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting list week. One of these was the question of Cambodia where the elections were to begin just two days later. We were cautiously optimistic then, but I believe that few of us would have predicted the massive turnout of the voters and the relative Calm in which the people of Cambodia were able to demonstrate the will to take their future into their own hands. The result is a success for the largest operation ever set up by the United Nations and a tribute to those countries, including ASEAN, who have played a constructive role in the peace process. The future peace of Cambodia is by no means secured although the establishment of a transitional government is another positive step. We now look forward to the successful drafting of a constitution and the formation of a definite government. The European Community will for its part, and to the best of its ability, continue to aid Cambodia in its reconstruction and rehabilitation after the UNTAC mandate expires. We believe that the international community cannot abandon the country and that there is a future role for us, based on full respect for Cambodia's sovereignty and constitution provided, of course, that this meets with the express wishes of the Cambodian Government. We look forward to discussing this question during our meetings in the course of the next few days.

Our political dialogue covers a wide range of issues and when speaking of the political dimension in our relations with Asia, we in the European Community do not only think of the end of the Cold War, of security and stability, or of the peaceful resolution of conflicts. We are also thinking of ways in which our societies, and political systems, different as they are, can be made to work together more closely.

If we are to achieve this, there must be a dialogue, and a meaningful dialogue must take account of the different perceptions and priorities of all partners to the dialogue. I am convinced that a mutual understanding about the essential principles does exist and that we both recognize the universal value of all human rights.

Our dialogue should continue in order to eliminate the different perceptions of the realization of these universal values. This will require an effort on both sides. The World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna reached agreement on several key issues. We welcome this important step towards reaching an understanding.


Mr. Chairman,

Belgium took over the Presidency of the Community at the beginning of the month. We have a heavy agenda. We are confident that the ratification of the Maastricht process will be completed during our tenure and we will be faced with the demanding but exciting challenge to launch and to implement it. The final ratification will mark the end of a period of uncertainty and release new energies which we will want to channel, with imagination and determination, into an ever closer European Union. Once Maastricht takes affect, it will also be the starting point for restoring a climate of confidence which is the basic condition for the revival of economic activity and employment, as well as for the consolidation of monetary stability. However, these new perspectives will in no way distract either the Presidency or the Community as a whole, from maintaining and developing the ongoing dynamics of our external policy. The Community is by no means Euro-centric. To be sure, we are involved in negotiations for an enlargement which will, in the first instance, include our neighbours: Australia, Sweden, Finland and Norway. To our minds, the strengthening of the Community must go hand in hand with its enlargement. Further afield in Europe, we must intensify our relations with Central and Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean and across the Straits of Gibraltar, with the countries of Northern Africa. Our presence here today illustrates our keen desire for dialogue with other regions of the globe, and more particularly in Asia.


Mr. Chairman,

Last but not least, I want to mention ex- Yugoslavia. As you know, I have just returned from there and I shall have the opportunity to come back to this question later on in our discussions. The situation is indeed very complex and apparently well-founded hopes have been dashed in the past. But there are now good reasons to believe that negotiations will resume in Geneva. But even under the best circumstances, we should be aware that without an early and determined action on the part of the international community we may have to face up this winter to a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic proportions.

An important element in the negotiation to arrive at a viable settlement will be the disposition of the international community to provide the necessary guaranties for the implementation of the agreement.

The European Community for its part will be ready to take its share of the burden.


Mr. Chairman,

I look forward to our further discussions at this ASEAN PMC.