How fa
South Asians. It was interesting to see how India and Pakistan sank their customary differences to join Sri Lanka in a number of determined and well engineered
The ASEAN efforts to achieve their particular ends. group was best exemplified by the activities of the
He was committee chairman, Mustapha of Malaysia. obviously curbed by the impartiality required of the chair but within these limits did as much as he could
At one stage Thailand, to encourage the others. Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and Korea were strongly vocal with support from Japan and Australia. Unfortunately cowards the end of proceedings in the drafting committee, when being vocal counted most, there was a most surprising silence which not even the
It may have encouragement of the chair could break. been that for political reasons they realised that they were rather obviously causing a split among the
The result however was that the developing countries. South Asians were able virtually to lead the rest by the nose when it came to the important drafting discussions. As usual the Indo Chinese said nothing. It will be interesting to see how things shape in Sri Lanka, but despite the puzzling silence towards the end there was a significant drawing together of the ASEAN group.
8. I kept as quict as I reasonably could during the more controversial moments, restricting myself to practical interventions aimed at clarifying the issues (though without overmuch success) and trying to open up opportunities through which the silent majority coulâ There was a moment when it speak up and be counted. looked as if the questions of how many were in favour of the shipping committee and how many not, and also who wanted to see immediate abolition of the sub committees
Had and who did not, were moving to decision by vote. it come to this the non regional members could have
These were issues been faced with an awkward decision.
on which we would obviously want to see the regional
It was also majority in favour of what we preferred.
this apply is ELA)? implied in the interventions of the South Asian group
EGAPE
that they would regard too much intervention by non regional members as contrary to the spirit if not the
Fortunately the letter of the "Lahore Convention"
llad they done so, I issues did not Ɛome to
think I should have taken part with an explanation to the effect that while we followed the Lahore Convention on matters of substance of LCAFB's working programne it speaks of "economic proposals predominantly concerning the region" - I regarded the present issues as
of procedural ones concerning the structure and work of
3
/the