ASEAN need for rules to peacefully resolve the disputes

ASEAN need for rules to peacefully resolve the disputes

July 9, 2012

 Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are expected to agree on creating rules to resolve territorial disputes in the South China Sea.The ministers from the 10 members began the first of 4-days of meetings in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on Monday.

The talks will include discussions between ASEAN foreign ministers and their counterparts from China, the United States and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Members will wrap up the meetings with the ASEAN Regional Forum, with North Korea also taking part.
On Monday, the ASEAN foreign ministers are expected to agree on a code of conduct following an appeal by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.He called on the need for rules to peacefully resolve the disputes involving some ASEAN nations and China over islands in the South China Sea.
A draft agreement asks countries involved in the dispute to respect international laws and create a framework to avoid international conflicts.The draft also calls for ways to monitor whether the countries are acting in line with the code.
ASEAN plans to present the draft to China in a meeting of their foreign ministers scheduled on Wednesday, and start negotiations to draw up the code.All eyes are on whether China is willing to work with ASENA on the matter.