ASEAN continued to enjoy a peaceful and stable political and security environment conducive to sustained economic development. While all States in the region remained preoccupied with their respective economic programmes for accelerated growth, political and security cooperation and dialogue continued both at the intra-ASEAN level and through various multilateral bodies.
Following the decision of the Fifth ASEAN Summit held in Bangkok in 1995, an Informal ASEAN Summit was held in Jakarta on 30 November 1996. It was the first of a new series of Informal ASEAN Summits to be held annually in between formal ASEAN Summits which take place every 3 years. At this Informal Summit, the Heads of Government of ASEAN "expressed their satisfaction with the implementation of various decisions taken at the Fifth Summit". They were of the view that these "encouraging achievements have contributed to a greater commitment of countries in Southeast Asia to strengthen their cooperation in various fields towards the enhancement of peace, stability and prosperity in Southeast Asia." The Heads of Government also reaffirmed their strong commitment to the speedy realisation of an ASEAN consisting of all ten Southeast Asian countries and agreed that Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar be admitted as ASEAN Members simultaneously. A consultative session between the Heads of Government of ASEAN and the Leaders of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar was held on the same occasion.
The Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ), which was signed by all Southeast Asian countries in December 1995, came into force in March 1997 when the seventh instrument of ratification was deposited with the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand which serves as the Depository State. The Treaty, which is also an important part of ASEAN's goal of establishing the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN), is yet another contribution of the Southeast Asian countries to the move towards general and complete disarmament of nuclear weapons, and to the promotion of international peace and security. With a view to maximising the effectiveness of the Treaty, ASEAN has called upon the Nuclear Weapon States (NWS), to extend their cooperation and support by acceding to the protocol of the Treaty on SEANWFZ. Consultations with the NWS, namely, China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain, and the United States of America, are underway.
ASEAN continued with its consideration of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) with a view to formulating a modality for the accession to the Treaty of States outside Southeast Asia. The treaty is a unique instrument in that it prescribes a code of conduct for interstate relations in Southeast Asia.
ASEAN pushed ahead in its central and active role in the increasing activities of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). As the region's main security consultative forum, the ARF aims to promote political and security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. During the year under review, the ARF undertook the following activities: Inter-sessional Meeting on Disaster Relief, Wellington, February 1997; Inter-sessional Support Group on Confidence Building Measures Meeting, Beijing, March 1997; Workshop on the UN Peacekeeping Operations, Kuala Lumpur, March 1997; and the Inter-sessional Meeting on Search and Rescue Coordination and Cooperation, Singapore, March 1997. The reports and recommendations of these inter-sessional activities were discussed in May 1997.
Intra-ASEAN political and security cooperation was also advanced in the Special Meeting of the ASEAN Senior Officials (Special SOM). This year, the Special SOM also attended by defence and national security officials of ASEAN Member Countries, was held in April 1997 in Kuching, Malaysia. As in previous years, the two working groups on political and security cooperation were convened to discuss regional and international security issues of interest to the Member Countries.
On the South China Sea, the ASEAN Heads of Government, at their First Informal Summit, reaffirmed their commitment to seeking an early peaceful solution to the overlapping claims in the area in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, the ASEAN Declaration on the South China Sea of 1992 as well as international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982. This matter was also discussed at the Third ASEAN-China Senior Officials' Consultations held in April 1997 in Huang Shan.
With a view to enhancing cooperation in the area of security with non-government officials, the ASEAN Senior Officials continued with their regular informal consultations with the representatives of the ASEAN Institutes for Strategic and International Studies (ASEAN-ISIS) in March 1997 in Kota Kinabalu. The ASEAN-ISIS presented a number of proposals on enhancing political and security cooperation in Southeast Asia as well as in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole. The institutional members of the Conference on Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP) also continued to actively participate in the track two activities of the ASEAN Regional Forum.
