May 1st 2002
By Ian Bostock
Under an initiative organised by the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), a UK-based think-tank, defence ministers from at least 12 countries, along with other officials and military personnel, are due to attend an inaugural Asia-Pacific security conference in Singapore scheduled to run from 31 May to 2 June.
Intended to promote closer contact and dialogue between regional defence ministers and act as a forum for discussion on matters of mutual interest, the conference, if successful, could become an annual event.
The conference adds to two established mechanisms: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, which annually gathers foreign ministers from the region and beyond; and the US-led Chiefs of Defence conference, annually involving senior military officers from the Asia-Pacific region.
While a spokesman from the IISS cited as “ill-informed” some mainstream media reports that claimed the meetings were a precursor to establishing a regional security pact, he acknowledged to Janes’s Defence Weekly that some countries are expected to seek advancement of their proposals for enhanced regional security.
Defence ministers expected to attend include those from Australia, Canada, India, Russia, South Korea, the UK and the USA. Those from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore will join them. Overall participation is expected to reach about 160 people.
The attendance of other participants, including China, is still unconfirmed.
Sources told JDW that transnational crime and countering terrorist threats will be among the topics for discussion.
