Concern over ASEAN anti-terror treaty

The continuing tensions in Kashmir will also be discussed at the ASEAN forum

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has arrived in Thailand as part of a nine-country Asia tour focussing on reducing tensions between India and Pakistan and continuing the global war on terrorism.

The focal point will be an address by Powell to a summit of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) being held in Brunei later this week.

The ASEAN summit -- involving Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam -- will discuss regional measures against global terrorism.

High on the agenda will be a proposed anti-terrorism treaty with Southeast Asian countries.

But Associated Press reports there is dispute over the wording of the accord which the U.S. says could impede its campaign to go after terrorists.

The draft accord, which would increase U.S. technical and financial aid to Southeast Asia to fight terrorism, originally stipulated that Washington must act in accordance with "the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity and ... non-intervention in the domestic affairs of other states."

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The United States succeeded in having the wording changed to say only that it "recognizes" such principles, a senior Asian diplomat told AP.

The wording change has yet to be formally approved by ASEAN foreign ministers ahead of the summit being held on Wednesday and Thursday.

Indonesia and Vietnam have expressed concern that the new wording would enable the U.S. to send ground troops to the region, according to diplomats, but Asian foreign ministers said that was unlikely.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hasan Wirayuda said Sunday that he was satisfied that the agreement did not envision the deployment of troops.

"We're not talking about that possibility," Wirayuda said.

"Basically, it's about areas of cooperation. We have to strengthen the capacity of ASEAN member countries in dealing with counter terrorism," he told AP.

Delegates from 13 other nations, including the United States, China, India, Japan, both Koreas, Russia, Australia and New Zealand, will also attend the summit.

Southeast Asia is considered to be the "second front" in the war on terrorism with al Qaeda cells suspected of operating in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

The U.S. is currently holding a suspected al Qaeda terrorist, identified as Mohamed Mansour Jabarah, in relation to a foiled plot to bomb the American embassies in Jakarta and Singapore and other targets in Southeast Asia.

And the Muslim separatist group Abu Sayyaf operating in the Philippines is also believed to be linked to al Qaeda.

The U.S. currently has around 4,000 troops in the Philippines for war games, anti-terrorism training and assisting in the battle with Abu Sayyaf.

The two-day ASEAN security forum will discuss, among other things, ways to eradicate the root causes of terrorism in the region.

Other key issues at the forum include territorial disputes in the South China Sea, tensions between North and South Korea following a recent naval clash, and infiltrations in Kashmir that are keeping India and Pakistan on a war footing.

Powell arrived in Bangkok from Islamabad, Pakistan where he met President General Pervez Musharraf to discuss reducing tensions with India over Kashmir. He held talks with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee earlier in the day.

Moral support

Pakistan says it has done all it can to prevent militant incursions into India

Powell said the level of tensions has been reduced since a December attack by suspected Kashmiri rebels on India's parliament brought the two countries to the brink of all-out war, but further steps need to be taken to completely defuse the situation.

"I am pleased that we have come down from that horrible pinnacle," Powell told reporters after leaving Pakistan.

India accuses Pakistan of backing Islamic militants fighting New Delhi's rule in part of Kashmir. Pakistan denies the charges, saying that it gives only moral support to groups fighting what it calls a "freedom struggle" in the disputed region.

According to India, in June there were 200 attacks by Pakistani-based militants into its territory that it says killed 200 people in Jammu and Kashmir state.

Musharraf said publicly Sunday that he had done all he could to end cross-border incursions. But Indian officials told Powell earlier Sunday that while the incursions had slowed, they "still see evidence" that such activity has not halted completely.

Elections

Powell said Musharraf assured him that cross-border incursions "will end."

Powell also said that "clearly there has been some action" regarding terrorist training camps in Pakistan, but he said it was unclear whether the camps had been removed or were simply "moving from one place to another."

Musharraf was backed up in his pledge to end infiltration by Ehsanul Haq, head of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, who joined their meeting, Powell told reporters.

The ISI is widely accused of links to Islamic militant groups.

India is on alert for an increase in attacks leading up to elections scheduled in the Indian-administered region in September or October this year.

Correspondents Andrea Koppel and Ash-har Quraishi contributed to this report.