ANU experts play part in historic Asian agreement
By Sean Daly Australia and 19 other Asia-Pacific countries have reached an historic maritime cooperation agreement following the work of a council established with the help of regional security specialists at the ANU. The Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) is a group of academics and officials from throughout the region. The Australian Committee is administered by Professors Des Ball and Stuart Harris in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (RSPAS). CSCAP has drawn up an agreement which could help Australia tackle problems including illegal immigration, drug smuggling and distant search and rescue operations. The plan has the support of all 20 nations - including traditional protagonists North and South Korea, and China and Taiwan - and is expected to be endorsed by regional foreign ministers later this year. "This is the first time these countries have all agreed to something that will constrain their maritime operations," Prof Ball, of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, said. "Rarely do these countries agree to limits on activities affecting their national security." The maritime cooperation proposal, drafted by Commodore Sam Bateman of the Australian CSCAP Committee, covers maritime boundaries, piracy, drugs and illegal migration, the Law of the Sea, maritime safety, environmental and conservation issues, resource sharing and scientific research cooperation. The agreement seeks to improve communication and cooperation between countries' maritime monitoring services, including their navies, coast guards, search and rescue and policing operations. Prof Ball said that, under the agreement, countries would share knowledge about the movements of suspicious activities at sea, assist in the identification of foreign ships and work together on emergency rescue operations. "This plan will bring other countries into line with what Australia already does in many of these areas. It will expand military transparency measures, including prior notice of any planned military exercises and exchange of intelligence." A CSCAP memorandum on the proposal describes the guidelines for maritime agreement as a comprehensive approach to regional security. "If adopted by regional countries, they will constitute a major contribution to regional security," CSCAP said. "The importance of these guidelines flows from the nature and complexity of the regional geographic environment, the significance of maritime issues in the region, and the propensity for illegal activities and disputes to occur at sea." However, the council warns that not all of the recommendations are supported by all countries. Several countries have reservations about issues including naval cooperation, maritime surveillance and ongoing claims over territory. CSCAP works in close association with the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), sharing many of the same country representatives. The council's importance as a regional forum was recently recognised by the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade which recommended that the Government continue its support for CSCAP. The Council includes politicians and academics from the various countries acting in an unofficial role (although many members hold a similar, official role in the ARF). The Australian CSCAP committee has 40 members including co-chairman Prof Ball; co-chairman Prof Stuart Harris of the Northeast Asia Program in RSPAS; Commodore Bateman of the University of Wollongong's Centre for Maritime Policy; Mick Palmer, commissioner of the Australian Federal Police; Assoc Prof Russell Trood, director of the Centre for the Study of Australia-Asia Relations at Griffith University; Assoc Prof Anthony Bergin, director of the Australian Defence Force Academy's Australian Defence Studies Centre; the Vice Chief of the Defence Force and the Deputy Secretary (Strategy and Intelligence) , Department of Defence.