Nov-2011-International

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Tunisia enters new era of democracy
On November 22, 2011, Tunisia entered a new era of democracy with the inaugural session of its democratically elected Constituent Assembly, ten months after a popular uprising ended years of dictatorship.

The 217-member Assembly is the first elected body produced by the Arab Spring. At the inauguration, the lawmakers, who will be tasked with drafting a new constitution and paving the way to fresh elections, sang the national anthem as the session got under way in the Bardo palace.

“This event is like a second independence for Tunisia,” said Ahmed Mestiri, an iconic figure in the struggle for Tunisia’s 1956 independence from France.

Despite assurances, some Tunisians have expressed concern that an Islamist-dominated Tunisia could roll back hard-earned rights such as the Code of Personal Status, seen notably as one of the Arab world’s most progressive sets of laws on women.

US Secretary of State Hillary on historic visit to Myanmar
On November 30, 2011, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Myanmar on the first top-level US visit for half a century, seeking to encourage a “movement for change” in the military-dominated nation.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has surprised observers with a series of reformist moves in the past year, including releasing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest and nominally ending decades of military rule.

President Barack Obama had personally announced Clinton’s trip during a visit to Asia earlier, citing “flickers” of hope. But his administration has sought to keep expectations low, mindful of other false dawns in Myanmar. Hillary said the United States and other nations hoped that the flickers “will be ignited into a movement for change that will benefit the people of the country”.

India pips China to UN post
India beat China fair and square in a rare direct fight for a key post in the UN, signalling that for all the display of Chinese hard power, India retains a fair bit of international clout. India will now serve a five-year term in the Joint Inspection Unit, the UN’s only external oversight body.

India’s candidate A. Gopinathan, envoy to the UN in Geneva, convincingly defeated the Chinese candidate, Zhang Yan, China’s envoy to New Delhi, winning 106 votes against Zhang’s 77. China has held the post for the past 10 years. India will get the post after 35 years.

The vote was a shot in the arm for India’s multilateral diplomacy, but more specifically, for India’s UN diplomats, particularly the UN mission in New York under Hardeep Puri. India had put a well-oiled election and lobbying machine to work, told all its heads of missions to go all out to pitch for its candidate and demarched other missions at least three times.

Gopinathan is one of India’s finest diplomats and he enjoys a great deal of support within the cadre.

According to Indian diplomats, the significance of the vote is that for the first time, India challenged a post considered a pocket borough by a P-5 member, and won. The US candidate on the JIU was replaced by an American and the Russian by a Russian. India, quite inadvertently, has shown that P-5 countries cannot always corner plum posts by virtue of their status.

China ready for ‘code of conduct’ in South China Sea
On the back-foot after most ASEAN countries, including India, pressed for a discussion on the South China Sea disputes at the East Asia Summit in Bali, China has said it is willing to work out a code of conduct with them, pending settlement of the row.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao signalled the climb-down after two days of wrangling, which included unsuccessfully pressuring India to resolve the issue bilaterally.

The topic had been a thorny issue, with China laying claim to all of the resource-rich South China Sea, while Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia, among others, claim parts of it.

China and ASEAN countries signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, testifying to the fact that the freedom of navigation in the area “has not been affected whatsoever”, Wen said.

In a remark aimed at keeping US out, Chinese assistant foreign minister Liu Zhenmin said China insisted the issue be confined to talks between the parties directly involved, through negotiation.

ASEAN rewards Myanmar for reforms
Myanmar has won approval of ASEAN to chair Southeast Asia’s regional bloc in 2014, in a reward for hints of reform from its new government after decades of military rule.

Despite warnings from the US that the move was pre-mature, leaders of ASEAN handed Myanmar the diplomatic prize at their summit held on the Indonesian island of Bali.

In 2006, Myanmar was forced to renounce the ASEAN rotating presidency in the face of criticism over its human rights record and the ruling junta’s failure to shift to democracy.

But since elections a year ago, the military-backed government has held direct talks with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, freed 200 dissidents and frozen work on an unpopular mega-dam.

Rights campaigners say they fear that the reform drive could be reversed now that the government has won the coveted chairmanship, removing the incentive for more fundamental change. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, however, said that southeast Asian leaders were satisfied with the momentum in Myanmar.

Along with the ASEAN chairmanship, the decision means Myanmar will host the East Asia Summit in 2014, which brings ASEAN members together with US, China and Russia, among others.

China warns Australia against military pact with US
On November 17, 2011, China has warned Australia that it may be “caught in the crossfire” if the US uses new Australia-based military forces to threaten its interests, a day after Canberra and Washington renewed a defence pact.

US President Barack Obama, on his first official visit to Australia, had met Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and unveiled plans to station 2,500 US marines in the Northern Territory within five years.

He confirmed Australia’s strategic importance in an Asia-Pacific century, dominated by the growing power of China and India.

Istanbul conference on Afghan situation
A decade after the Taliban government was ousted from power, regional leaders, on November 2, 2011, pledged to find ways to improve security and economic development in Afghanistan as international combat forces prepare to leave by the end of 2014.

The one-day conference in Istanbul followed the September assassination of an Afghan peace envoy and other high-profile assaults in Afghanistan that have diminished prospects for a negotiated settlement and intensified suspicion of Pakistani support for the insurgency, an allegation that the Pakistan’s government denies.

In an opulent hall on the shores of the Bosporus Strait, delegates delivered speeches promising support for Afghan sovereignty, and endorsed a transition to Afghan security leadership, efforts for a political solution to the war and economic development.

As a show of solidarity, the meeting was a success, but it was also a reminder of how much remains unsolved.

In all 14 countries agreed at the conference to cooperate in building the future of war-torn Afghanistan. Among the countries involved are Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, China, Russia and India, and several Arab States.

Demanding an end to external interference in Afghan internal affairs, India stressed on the need to eliminate safe havens and sanctuaries, a stand that was reflected in the outcome document.

On its part, Afghanistan termed the cooperation with New Delhi as a “turning point” and pitched for a bigger role for India in the region for desirable reasons.

SAARC Summit, 2011
The 17th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was held at the Addu atoll in Maldives.

In its 26th year, SAARC has finally taken the shape of a cohesive grouping of nations willing to cooperate in key areas to boost their economic clout. The Addu Declaration that the leaders agreed upon focused on the theme of “Building Bridges.” The leaders committed to work towards a huge boost in intra-SAARC trade, improving air, rail, motor and water transport connectivity between member countries and putting their heads together to solve common developmental concerns. Four agreements were also signed that included a rapid response mechanism to deal with natural disasters, an agreement to establish a SAARC Seed Bank and two agreements on harmonising regional standards for goods and products.

Yet, SAARC still has a long way to go. Many of the leaders complained that while there were plenty of big ideas to move ahead, implementation of these had been slow. As Pakistan’s Gilani said, “The gap between the promises made at SAARC and the reality needs to be bridged.”

Sri Lanka’s Rajapaksa echoed similar sentiments when he said at the plenary, “What is evident around us is a mood of urgency and even impatience. This is especially so because a large and influential part of our societies consists of young people inspired by new ideas and looking forward with enthusiasm to a promising future for themselves. They cannot be kept waiting for long. Their patience is not infinite.”

Sensing the mood, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced that in a major effort to liberalise trade in the region, India had issued a notification to reduce the sensitive list under the South Asian Free Trade Area Agreement (SAFTA) from 480 tariff lines to just 25 for the five Least Developed Countries (LDC) of the region—Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Maldives. He said that zero basic customs duty access will be given to all items removed with immediate effect.

The main reason why SAARC has met with only moderate success is that it has tried to do many things that has resulted in somewhat diffusing its focus. Experts feel that it should focus on key areas such as trade liberalisation and making SAFTA a reality, improving connectivity through transport by having air, rail and motor vehicles agreements and taking steps to enhance agricultural productivity and ensuring food security. The Addu declaration rightly emphasises these priorities and needs to be urgently implemented.

The Addu declaration
Intensify efforts to fully and effectively implement the South Asian Free Trade Areas (SAFTA) agreement and work on reduction in Sensitive Lists as well as early resolution of non-tariff barriers and expediting the process of harmonizing standards and customs procedures.

Direct SAARC Finance Ministers to chart a proposal that would allow for greater flow of financial capital and intra-regional long-term investment.

Conclude the Regional Railways Agreement and convene the Expert Group Meeting on the Motor Vehicles Agreement before the next Session.

Ensure completion of the preparatory work on the Indian Ocean Cargo and Passenger Ferry Service, including the Feasibility Study, by the end of 2011.

Direct the conclusion of the Inter-governmental Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation and the Study on the Regional Power Exchange Concept as also the work related to SAARC Market for Electricity.