THIS WORKING GROUP IS NO LONGER ACTIVE

Singapore

South Korea

Center for InternationalStudies
Graduate School of International Studies
Yonsei University
134, Shinchon-dong Seodaemoonku
SEOUL 120-749
Tel: +82 2 123 4182
Fax: +82 2 362 1915
E-mail: cmlee@yonsei.ac.kr

United States of America

Mr RalphCossa
Pacific Forum CSIS
1001 Bishop Street
Pauahi Tower, Suite 1150
Honolulu HI 96813
Tel: +808 521 6745
Fax: +808 599 8690
Email: RACPacForum@cs.com

The US, Singapore, and Republic of Korea CSCAP member committees co-sponsor the International Working Group on Confidence and Security Building Measures in the Asia Pacific. This has been the most active of the IWGs, having met eleven times, most recently in May 1999 in Seoul. The first CSCAP CSBM Working Group meeting was held in Washington, DC in October 1994 and was aimed at answering the question ‘Are CSBMs appropriate for Asia and, if so, what type measures might apply?’.

Having answered ‘yes’ to the basic question, the CSBM IWG has: examined basic principles for regional confidence building; investigated the utility and applicability of the UN Register of Conventional Arms to the Asia Pacific region, while also laying the groundwork for possible development of an Asian Arms Register; developed a generic outline for defense policy papers (‘white papers’) to aid those regional states who have decided to produce or refine current versions of this transparency tool; stimulated discussion and debate on the ARF’s possible future preventive diplomacy role, including the development of a Working Definition and Statement of Principles of Preventive Diplomacy; and performed ground-breaking work on the development of multilateral approaches to nuclear safety and non-proliferation in the region, to include the possible formation of an Asian or Pacific Atomic Energy Community (PACATOM) cooperative mechanism.

The Working Group also sponsors a Nuclear Energy Experts’ Group which conducts more indepth analysis on nuclear energy-related issues. This Group has met twice, at the Cooperative Monitoring Center (CMC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico in October 1998 and January 1999, to develop a generic nuclear energy monitoring scheme to promote greater transparency in nuclear energy production and research operations. The generic system uses currently available technologies and is being presented to nuclear energy producers in the region for consideration, on a voluntary basis, as a trans-national confidence building measure. It feeds into an Asia Pacific Nuclear Energy Transparency Web Site which is also being developed by the Experts’ Group in cooperation with the CMC.

The CSBM Working Group has met twice thus far in 1999. At a 28 February-2 March 1999 meeting in Bangkok, the CSBM Working Group, in cooperation with the United States Institute of Peace, conducted a Workshop on Preventive Diplomacy, immediately prior to and in coordination with an ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-Sessional Support Group (ARF/ISG) Confidence Building Measures Meeting. The Workshop included case studies and a practical exercise examining previous examples of preventive diplomacy both from within and beyond the region. Participants developed a Working Definition of Preventive Diplomacy and a Statement of Principles which were subsequently tabled and discussed at the ARF/ISG meeting.

The CSBM Working Group most recently convened on 24-27 May 1999 in South Korea to further examine nuclear energy-related topics.The meeting included a visit to a ROK nuclear power plant as a demonstration of South Korea’s commitment to nuclear energy transparency. Members of the Nuclear Energy Experts’ Group participated in this meeting, which also was aimed at examining and expanding upon the current prototype Nuclear Transparency WebSite. Efforts to develop a generic Nuclear Energy White Paper (similar to its earlier Defense White Paper effort) to promote greater transparency among nuclear energy producers are continuing, and the Working Group is also examining the feasibility of developing a comprehensive inventory of current organizations, programs, and initiatives that already address nuclear energy-related challenges and concerns, in order to understand what institutions and processes - whether multilateral, bilateral, or unilateral - are tackling what parts of the problem. A review of various ASIATOM, PACATOM, and other multilateral nuclear energy-related cooperation proposals will also be included in this Asia Pacific Nuclear Energy Cooperation Handbook, in order to evaluate their feasibility and to see what aspects of these initiatives can realistically be incorporated into CSCAP’s future efforts.