동남아 국가연합, 아세안 헌법 제정 예정 (E)

 

동남아국가연합, 아세안은 회원국들의 총인구가 5억 이상인 연합체이면서도 유럽연합 등 다른 블록에 비해 그 위상이 뒤떨어져 있습니다.  아세안은 세계에서 차지하는 통상규모의 비중이 작고 역내의 인도적, 사회적 문제들을 다루어 나가는 권한과 의지를 갖고있지 못하다는 비판을 받아왔기 때문입니다. 아세안 회원국 지도자들은 오는 20일, 싱가포르 정상회의에서 최초의 아세안헌법에 서명할 예정입니다. 그러나 전문 분석가들은10개 회원국의 하나인 버마 민주화 개혁에 관한 아세안의 무능력을 지적하며 아세안의 새 헌법에 관해 회의적인 관측을 표명하고 있습니다.

유럽연합과 유엔 그리고 미국은 버마에서 민주화 개혁이 이루어지도록 압력을 가하는 조치를 취하면서 아세안에게 버마 군사정권에 대해 영향력을 행사하도록 촉구해 왔습니다.  그러나 아세안은 지역기구로서 공식적인 통치와 법집행 권한 결여탓으로 국제사회가 기대하는 것 같은 강력한 역할을 못하고 있습니다.

아세안 회원국 의원연맹의 로샨 제이슨 사무총장은 아세인이 버마 민주화 개혁에 관해 말로만 일관해 왔다고 지적합니다.

 아세안 전체가 그리고 아세안 회원국 대다수가 해온 일은 버마 군사정권과 경제적 거래를 통해 각자의 이익만 챙겼다는 것입니다. 그리고 어쩌다가 한 번씩 버마 군사정권의 잔혹성과 민주화 개혁 결여에 대한 불만과 우려의 소리를 낼뿐 현상유지로 되돌아가곤 했다고 제이슨 사무총장은 지적합니다.

제이슨 사무총장은 아세안이 국제사회로부터 존중되려면 아세안의 강력한 헌법을 필요로 하며 강력한 행동을 보여야 한다고 강조합니다.

아세안은 자체의 자긍심을 회복하고 국제사회로부터 신뢰를 되찾을 기회를 맞고 있다는 것입니다.  아세안은 아주 강력한 내용의 헌법을 마련하고 인권을 침해하는 회원국에 대해 새 헌법을 즉각 적용해야 한다고 제이슨 사무총장은 촉구합니다.

싱가포르 방위전력연구소의 가쓰마타 히로 연구원은 몇 주일 전에 유출된 아세안 헌법초안을 보면 국제사회가 기대해온 조항들이 완화된 것으로 보인다고 지적합니다. 

 헌법 초안의  처벌과 제재조치 시행 조항이 상당히 약화된 것으로 보이며 이는 아세안이 회원국에 대해 책무를 수행하는데 있어서 여전히 제한되 있고 아세안 식의 외교에서 벗어나지 못함을 나타낸다는 것입니다.

가쓰마타 연구원은 또 아세안은 버마 군사정권에 대해 너무 압력을 가하면 버마가 중국과 군사적으로 중국과 밀접해지는 것을 우려하고 있음을 나타낸다고 지적합니다. 

  버마가 중국의 대리자가 되면 중국은 인도양으로 자유롭게 진출하게 되며 이는 아세안 회원국들에겐 최악의 상황이라는 것입니다.  아세안은 1967년에 창설된후 회원국이 10개국으로 늘어났으나 독재정권, 왕권, 저개발 민주주의 국가 등 부조화 국가들의 집합체로 돼 있는 것으로 지직됩니다. 

 

After 40 years of existence, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will formally establish itself as a legal entity when it signs its first constitution at next week's summit meeting in Singapore.  The charter seeks to set rules and procedures for the regional bloc.  But a draft of the document suggests that any enforcement mechanism will be weak, and the group will still have limited power to deal with troublesome members, like Burma. Naomi Martig reports from VOA's Asia News Center in Hong Kong.

Despite encompassing more than 500 million people, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has less standing than other major regional groups.  ASEAN's percentage of world trade is small, and the organization is often criticized for not having the strength or the will to make an impact on humanitarian and social issues in its region.

Hopes are high among ASEAN leaders that after its first charter is signed in Singapore next Tuesday, governments and organizations will take it more seriously.  But analysts have expressed doubts, and they point to ASEAN's inability to push for democratic change in Burma, one of ASEAN's 10 member nations, as the reason.

The European Union, the United Nations and the United States have taken action to try to force change in Burma.  They have called on ASEAN to bring its organizational influence to bear on Burma's military government.  But a lack of formal rules and enforcement powers has meant that ASEAN as a group has been unable to address the situation as strongly as the international community would like.

Roshan Jason, executive director of the ASEAN Interparliamentary Caucus, says that so far, the organization has only paid lip service to pressing for democratic reform in Burma. 

"All ASEAN has done, many ASEAN countries have done, is fatten their pockets with economic dealings with the junta, and…once in awhile, on occasion, voice discontent or concern with the junta's brutality and lack of democratic reform.  But it always goes back to the status quo," Jason said.

He says if ASEAN wants respect internationally, it will need a strong constitution, and the will to back that up with strong action.

"ASEAN has an opportunity to reinstate some of its pride and belief by the international community towards it, by being strong and coming out with a very strongly worded charter, and one which will be used immediately against any member countries which are violating human rights," he explained.

The international community has frequently criticized ASEAN leaders for their failure to take decisive action, especially during the recent violent crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations in Burma.  While ASEAN did condemn the crackdown, member nations have resisted calls to impose sanctions. 

Hiro Katsumata is an expert on ASEAN at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore.  He says a draft of the charter leaked to the media in recent weeks is a watered-down version of what the international community had hoped would be produced.

"The final draft of the charter seems to be a little bit softer in terms of this punishment and implementation and sanctions," he noted.  "That demonstrates…the limitation on the part of ASEAN members to carry out its task or to make a departure from the traditional approach, (the) ASEAN way of diplomacy."

Katsumata says he does not think ASEAN's leaders want to address Burma's human rights situation too forcefully.  He says they are concerned that if they place too much pressure on Burma, they will push the military government into an uncomfortably close relationship with China.

"If that happens, if Myanmar becomes China's proxy, then China will have free access to the Indian Ocean, this is the worst scenario for the rest of the ASEAN countries," he said.

Burma has a long coastline on the Indian Ocean, and Katsumata says both China and ASEAN want access to that strategic supply route.

ASEAN'S traditional policy of non-interference in members' internal affairs is included in the draft charter, as is the establishment of a human rights mechanism. But Katsumata says ASEAN leaders are also not likely to provide too clear a statement of what the human rights body will entail. 

Doing so could force the leaders to address human rights concerns not only in Burma, but also in their own countries.

ASEAN is an odd collection of dictatorships, monarchies and underdeveloped democracies.  It was founded by Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines in 1967, as an anti-communist group.  Since then, it has grown to include Brunei, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. 

Very few of those nations fully embrace human rights as they are defined internationally, and the countries' leaders are unlikely to commit ASEAN to ideals they themselves do not subscribe to.

How the new charter will affect investment and trade is expected to be a major topic of interest at the summit.  Member nations have said they hope the charter will allow trading partners, such as the European Union, to have more confidence in ASEAN, because the Asian group will now be bound by clear regulations.

By adopting a constitution, ASEAN should have a greater ability to move, like the EU, toward common trade and investment policies.