Howard Government rejects peace treaty

The Australian Government's refusal to sign up with other 
nations of Asia, including Indonesia, to a Treaty of Amity and 
Cooperation (TAC) is a grave and wrong decision that will 
inevitably lead to the further isolation of Australia in the 
region.

In an attempt to belittle the issue of the treaty, Howard is 
reported to have said that he had not been approached personally. 
However, ASEAN has a publicly declared position that it wants ALL 
its key partners, including Australia, to commit to the 
principles contained in the treaty. This has been ASEAN's stance 
since the TAC first came into force in 1976.

The terms of the treaty of amity and cooperation are clear and 
simple. They are the principles of "non-interference in the 
internal affairs of one another", "the renunciation of the threat 
or use of force" and the "settlement of disputes between nations 
by peaceful means".

In an attempt to muddy the waters it is alleged by government 
spokespersons that these principles have a non-aligned movement 
flavour.

A senior government official told the media (Sydney Morning 
Herald Nov 27-28) that the treaty was seen as a Cold War 
relic and carried connotations of being part of the non-aligned 
movement. This movement of 99 developing countries which emerged 
from a series of meeting in the 1960s and '70s, and does, indeed, 
promote its longstanding principles of peaceful coexistence.

But the international adoption of such principles dates back much 
further, to the UN Charter, which was signed by representatives 
of 51 countries at a meeting held in San Francisco on June 26, 
1945. Australia is a party to the Charter. Presumably the concept 
of peace is now regarded by the Australian Government as a Cold 
War relic.

The principles of the UN Charter were torn up by the Australian 
Government when it adopted the concepts of "pre-emptive strikes", 
"failed states" and "rogue states". These justifications for war 
and interference were again proclaimed by the Australian 
Government in its rejection of the Asian treaty of amity and 
cooperation.

The treaty has already been signed by all ten ASEAN countries 
(Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, 
Burma, the Philippines and Thailand), and by China, Japan, India 
and Pakistan. Russia, South Korea and possibly New Zealand are 
expected to sign the treaty at the ASEAN meeting in Cambodia this 
week.

But for the Howard Government the only relationship that matters 
is its slavish adherence to the war-mongering Bush 
administration. The Australian Government claims that signing the 
treaty could undermine its alliance with the US. This speaks 
volumes about the aggressive nature of our military ties with the 
US.

The Howard Government is attempting to push aside the 
significance of the treaty of amity and cooperation giving 
emphasis to only trade relations. But Australia's refusal to join 
the treaty clearly means that it reserves the option to commit 
aggression and wage war against any of the signatories to the 
treaty and to interfere in their internal affairs.

This is a policy course that can only lead to the further 
isolation of Australia in the Asia-Pacific area.