009741/EU XXVII.GP Eingelangt am 30/01/20

Council of the , 30 January 2020 (OR. en)

14250/99 DCL 1

PVD 89 ASIE 61 PESC 488

DECLASSIFICATION of document: ST 14250/99 RESTREINT dated: 20 December 1999 new status: Public Subject: Meeting of the Asia/Oceania Working Group, Brussels, 16 December 1999 - Report

Delegations will find attached the declassified version of the above document.

The text of this document is identical to the previous version.

14250/99 DCL 1 KAL SMART 2.C.S1 EN

www.parlament.gv.at

EUROPEAN UNION Brussels, 20 December 1999 THE COUNCIL

14250/99

RESTREINT

PVD 89 ASIE 61 PESC 488

OUTCOME OF PROCEEDINGSROCEEDINGS from : the Asia OceaniaOceania WorkingWorking GroupGroup dated: 16 Decembermber 11999999

Subject: Meeting ofof the Asia/OceaniaAsia/Oceania WorkingWorking GrouGrouup,p, BBrussels,ruusss ele s,s 16 December 1999.199 Report

I. OPERATIONALTIONAL CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONNS

1. CHINA

The Presidencyy will circulate,circulate,, byby coreu,cooreu,, possipossibleble terms of reference for a TroikaTroika demarche in Beijing, to be mademade as soonsooon asa possible,posssisibblle, which would raise EU concern at respectrespe for basic individual humanman rightrights,s,s iincludingnccluuddingn bbutut not restrictedrestricted to the cases of thosethose wwhoho aarer followers of the Falun Gong.

2. SRI LANKA/AFGHANISTAN:/AFGHHANNISI TTAN: EUEU ACTIONACTION PLANSPLANS AAGAINSTGAINST ILLEILLEGALGA IMMIGRATIONION

Partners are invited to offer, by Coreu, their views on how to implement the recommended foreign policy measures included in the Asylum and Migration HLWG Action Plans adopted by GAC and the (Council Docs 11424/99 and 11428/99). The Group will revert to this issue at one of its next meetings.

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3. AFGHANISTAN: REVIEW OF THE COMMON POSITION

Partners are invited to circulate, before 6 January 2000, any comments on and/or suggestions for amendments to the Common Position, which the Group will examine at its next meeting.

4. PHILIPPINES

EU HOMs in Manila are invited to identify priorities among the ideas set out in their report on strengthening the EU presence in the Philippines (coreu HEL/1410HEL/1410/99),/99)), the GrGroupo having taken note of the intentionention of the Commission to take accountaccount of the HOMs'HOMMs's iideasdeeasa in tthat report in its forthcoming EECC cco-operationo-operation stratestrategy.gy.

5. LAOS

EU HOMs in VentianeVentiane are requested to make a demardemarcheche tot ttheirheir hhostost GovernGovernmentm regarding the human rights situation,situation, especiallyespecially the fate of those arrestedarrrese tet d onn 26 October, and partnerspa are invited to offer as soonn as possible and by coreu the namesnames ofo thosethoses whomwhom they believebelieve may have been arrested on thatat occasion. The Group will considerconsiddere furtherfururthher tthehe situation in LaosLaos,, including the other proposalsls made by EU HOMs (see ccoreusorreus HEHEL/1484/99EL/L 14484/99 and HEL/1546/HEL/1546/99),9 in the light of the reaction too thethe demarche.demarche.

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II.OTHER POINTS

6. ASEM - China's investment symposium initiative

The Group was not prepared to endorse the Chinese initiative; it was suggested that China should consider organising such a symposium outside the ASEM framework.

- Preparation of SOMTI-6: follow-up to TFAPA and IPAP letter sent to the Asian co-ordinatorss

The Commissionion invited partnerspartners to completecomplete a questionnaire onn ttraderarade bbarriersarrriiers aand return it by 21 January 2000. Ireland offered to host the next Young LeadeLeadersrss SySymposiumymposo iuum in JuneJu or September 2000. The Commissionmmission suggested that the Group discuss a nunumbermbmberr ofof currentccurrent iinitiativesn on education at onene of its future meetingmeetings.s.

7. DPRK

The Group notedted the Secretariat report (coreu SESEC/1885/99)EC/C 188855/9999) of the EU-DPRKEU-DPRK PoliticalP Dialogue meeting held inn Brussels on 24 November 191999.999. It agreedagreed to keep the situation iinn the DPRK under review. The Commissionommission briefed on the vivisitsit ofo forforo mermmer Japanese PM Murayama to the DPRK (1-3 December 1999)99) and JJapan'sapan's announcannouncement,emmennt,t ffollowingolo lowwing thatthat visit,visit, that it intends shortly to take a number of stepsps towards the normalisatnormalisationioon ofof iittss relations with the DPRK. The Commission also drew attentionn to the signature off thethe KEDOKEDDO turn-keyturn-key contract on 14 DecemberDecember 1999.

8. SECURITY IN NORTHNORTH EAEEASTSTS ASIAASISIA

Following the invitationinvitation offeredofffferred byby the Political Committee in its conclusions of 5 December 1999 (SEC/1936/99)9) thethe GroupGrGroup tooktoookk note of the COPLA paper (HEL/1443/99). A numbernu of partners considered thatat some rrecommendationseccomo mendations in the paper should be borne in mind iinn the ongoing debate in the AAOWGOWG oonn thtthee Korean peninsulapeninsula..

9. INDIA

The Presidency and the Commission debriefed delegations on further details of the EU-India SOM and Ministerial Meeting of 2-3 December, and, in particular, on the practical follow-up to be

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given to the agreed initiatives (Think tank network and the EU-Indian Round table, Consular WG, and high level economic dialogue). The Commission briefed delegations on the short bilateral talks held between Commissioner Patten and FM Singh. The Group agreed to come back to New Delhi EU HOMs recommendations for further EU action (cf. Coreu HEL 1200/99) when preparing for the next round of EU-India contacts during the Portuguese Presidency.

10. AFGHANISTAN

Italy debriefed the Group on further details of the Rome meeting and on the short-term follow-up agreed among the participants. Italy indicated thatthat the Italian GoveGovernmentrnmem nt wouwouldl provide further assistance andd that the UN was prepared to support the Loya JirgahJirgahh iinitiative.nin tit attivi e.

11. EC-ASEAN

The Group welcomedelcomed the results of the first EEC-ASEANC-ASEAN susub-committeeub-cocommmitttee onon thethe environment which took placeace in Brussels from 223-243-24 NovemberNovember upuponponn wwhichhhichh ttheyhhey were briebriefed by the Commission, whichwhich noted, in particular,particular, that, despitespitte a thinththinn attendanceattt endance on the partp of some ASEAN members,bers, agreement had been reached on a nnumberumbeb r of followfollow-up-up meetingsmeet at expert level. The Presidencysidency also drew attention to the decisiondecissioi n byb Coreper to extend, for another year, the arrangementsnts for the participation of nonon-son-sisiignatoriesgngnattoriei s to the EC-ASEANEC-ASEAN CCo-operationo Agreement in the susub-committeesb-committees of the JCC.JCCCC.

12. THAILAND

The Commissionion briefed the groupgror upp oonn thtthee reresultsesults of the sixth EEC-ThailandC-Thailand SOSOMM that took place in Brussels from 16-1716-17 November,Novembberr, ddrawingraawingn particular attention to the worrying sisituationt of Karin refugees in campsmps in NNorthernorrthherrn ThThailand.haia llannd.

13. PHILIPPINESES

The Commissionion briefedbrieffedd thethe group on the resultresultss of the second ECEC-Philippines-Philippines SOM held in Brussels from 222-232-23 NNovemberovveember and noted, in particular,particular, the request from the PhilippinesPh for EU co-operation in judicial matters regarding the death penalty.

14. EAST TIMOR

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The Group received an information note from the Commission services on the visit of Commissioner Nielson to East and West Timor as well as Jakarta. It was also briefed by Portugal on FM Gama's visit to East Timor as well as their concerns at continued militia activity and possible mining of the land border between East Timor and Indonesia. The Commission noted that it hoped to come forward with a programme of reconstruction assistance for East Timor in the light of the Tokyo donors' conference (16-17 December).

15. ARF

The Group endorseddorsed the Presidency paper on EU policy towards the AARFRF (cor(coreue HEL/1360/99) and welcomedd the intention of the incoming PresidencyPresidency to prepare,preparee, iinn cocco-operation-opo erat with the Commission andand Council Secretariat, a "brainstorming""brainstorming" sessiosessionn onon tthehe bbasisaasiis of the policy set out in that paper.

16. MALAYSIA

The Group welcomedelcomed the intention of EU HOHOMsMs to preparepreepap rer a common responserespons to the note verbale from thehe MaMalaysianlaysian MFA accuaccusingsing EU (and(andd ootherthherr WWesterneestern missions) ofof interference in Malaysia's internalernal affairs though support of MalaysianMaalaysiaan popoliticalllitical parties and NNGOs.G

17. AOB

BURMA/MYANMARNMAR : The Group consconsideredidderede CCOREUOOREU HAG/622/HAG/622/9999 and invited EU Ambassadors accredited to Rangoon/Yangongoon/Yangon to fofollowllloww the ppractraacticeice regarding attendance at BurBurma/Myanmar'sm national day, as setet out in coreu PRPRES/DUB/1014/RES/DDUBU /1/ 0114/96,96, for the forthcominforthcomingg national dday celebrations in January 2000.

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