ASEAN community must have full confidence in legal rules

 Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called on the people of Southeast Asia to have full confidence in the legal rules that have been agreed by ASEAN.

In his opening speech to the 11th General Assembly of ASEAN Law Association (ALA) at Bali International Convention Center (BICC) on Thursday, Yudhoyono stressed the commitment of ASEAN to encourage law enforcement, justice system and legal infrastructure in the region.

"This task cannot be achieved by Asean leaders alone. We need active participation and the sense of belonging from all ASEAN civil societies," President Yudhoyono said.

He said based on ASEAN Charter, signed in 2007, the bloc has transformed into a people oriented and legal based organization.

"In the security and political fields, we have agreed on a number of legally binding instruments that have been internationally recognized," the president said, referring to the ASEAN Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty, among others.

Yudhoyono said ASEAN has also agreed on the mechanism of conflict and dispute resolution to maintain peace among the member states.

In the economic field, President Yudhoyono said ASEAN has had free trade agreement with its strategic partners - China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

"These agreements will make inter-ASEAN investment more attractive and simpler," President Yudhoyono said. 

Source: ANTARA