Surin Pitsuwan leads ASEAN towards new era

After the ASEAN Charter was signed by all ASEAN leaders at the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore in November 2007, Surin became the first ASEAN secretary general to use the charter to develop rules and regulations governing regional groupings.
Surin`s first assignment is to ensure all 10 ASEAN member countries meet their promise to ratify the charter before the 14th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok at the end of this year.
But political instability in Myanmar means it will not be an easy task.
"I will use all my might to encourage all members to ratify the charter," Surin said, confirming his commitment to leading ASEAN.
The father of three said one of his priorities in the next couple of months was to meet with other leaders of the organization to encourage them to ratify the charter.
Surin said the sooner the charter is ratified, the better it is for the international community to know ASEAN is really serious in its intentions to become an integrated and efficient organization.
However, he said he would always respect the legal process which prevail in each country.
Surin said before ASEAN member countries ratified the charter there had been a number of basic principles that could be adopted by the regional grouping.
"The ASEAN Charter is a blueprint on ASEAN`s future. It will help us consolidate goals, increase coordination and equalize speed in the face of new challenges and tighter competition," he said.
Surin`s optimism explicitly depicted his maturity in the regional politics. Born with the name Abdul Halim bin Ismael, Surin is well known as a ...