Introduction

1. Pursuant to the decision of the 8th Ministerial Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held in Ha Noi on 25 July 2002, the Inter-sessional Support Group on Confidence Building Measures (ISG on CBMs), co-chaired by the Republic of India and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, held two meetings during the 2001/2002 intersessional year, the first in New Delhi on 19-21 December 2001 and the second in Ha Noi on 22-24 April, 2002.

2. Representatives from all ARF participating countries, except Papua New Guinea, attended both the meetings. Consistent with the ARF goal of increasing the participation of defence and military officials in all relevant meetings and activities, most delegations included defence officials. The Agendas of the New Delhi and Ha Noi ISG Meetings are attached at ANNEXES A and B, the Programmes of Activities as ANNEXES C and D and the List of Participants as ANNEXES E and F  respectively.

First ISG Meeting, 19-21 December 2001, New Delhi India

3. There was an extensive exchange of views among participants on the political and security developments in the region and beyond since the 8th ARF Ministerial Meeting. The discussions were held in an open and free-flowing manner and covered a range of  issues impacting on the region as a whole.

4. In the discussion about the review of the regional and international political and security situation. The issue of terrorist strikes against the United States and the subsequent global coalition against terrorism remained in principal focus.  The Meeting expressed its condolences to the people and the Government of the United States on the tragic terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 and the thousands of lives lost. The Meeting also expressed its condolences to the people and the Government of India on the terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament on 13 December 2001. Participants agreed that the terrorist strikes and developments since 11 September 2001 had led to a transformation of the global security perspective and compounded the effects of the global economic downturn on the regional economic situation.  Participants expressed their determination and resolve to continue the collective and concerted global campaign against terrorism and the implementation of all relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.

5. The Meeting reiterated support for the Statement of October 2001 on the threat of international terrorism issued by Brunei as the ARF Chair on behalf of ARF participants.  Support was also expressed for the Declaration on Joint Action to counter terrorism issued by ASEAN Leaders at their 7th Annual Summit and the Declaration by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. There was general agreement that ARF participants view all acts of terrorism  as an attack against humanity and completely unjustifiable regardless of any motivations, committed wherever, whenever and by whomsoever, and a profound threat to international peace and stability.  ARF participants are committed to prevent and combat all forms ofterrorist acts and will also cooperate at the regional level towards joint practical counter-terrorism measures.

6. Participants were unanimous in their support forreconstruction and reconciliation in Afghanistan and the provision of humanitarian assistance there.  Some participants expressed the view that eradication of the network ofthe AI Qaeda and the taliban was an essential step in the global efforts to stamp out terrorism completely. Participants also emphasised that the ongoing campaign against terrorism was not a fight against any country or against Islam.

7. Participants emphasised that there should be greater exchange ofinformation and intelligence and further cooperation among law enforcement agencies as a necessary tool to effectively combat terrorism. Capacity building in some ARF participating countries was also required with the cooperation ofparticipating countries with greater expertise and resources in the field of counter-terrorism. There was general agreement that accession by participating countries to all UN Conventions against terrorism would assist in fighting terrorism and would also constitute a CBM.

8. Proposals were before the Meeting for a series ofARF Workshops on Counter Terrorism. The proposals to hold an "ARF workshop on Counter-Terrorism" focusing on the financing of terrorist activities in the spring of 2002in the US, and to hold an "ARF workshop on the prevention of Terrorism" in April 2002 in Thailand were endorsed by participants for consideration by the ARF Chair with a view to their immediate implementation through consultations among participating countries.

9. Participants reaffirmed their support for efforts made by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) to reduce tensions  and establish lasting peace of the Korean Peninsula since the historic inter-Korean summit in June last year.  They encouraged the DPRK and the ROK to implement further follow-up measures to enhance inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation in the spirit of  the 15 June 2000 North-South Joint Declaration.  Participants expressed hope for the further promotion of the peace process on the Korean Peninsula and emphasised the importance of holding the second inter-Korean summit.

10. The Meeting emphasised support for the sovereignty territorial integrity, and national unity of Indonesia. Participants expressed satisfaction on the restoration of stability in East Timor and acknowledged the achievements made by the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor  in cooperation with Indonesia and other countries.  Participants noted the need for continued international support for East Timor in the lead-up to and after independence.

11. Participants noted the positive developments in the situation in the South China Sea and welcomed the progress made on developing a Regional Code of Conduct in the South China Sea between ASEAN and China.  They were also  encouraged by  the continued commitment of the parties concerned to exercise self-restraint and the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea.

12. Participants noted that general elections were held in Fiji in August-September 2001 under the framework of the 1997 Constitution. Some participants expressed the hope that the post-elections constitutional issues that have been raised would be settled satisfactorily by the judiciary and that Fiji would move in the direction ofrespect for democratic principles reflecting the multi-racial composition ofFijian society and on the basis of equal political, economic and social rights for all citizens of Fiji. Some participants also noted that peace agreements had paved the way foreventual resolution of conflicts in Solomon Islands and Bougainville, and that the Bougainville experiences provided a possible model for regional peace building.

13. Participants welcomed some positive development in the political situation in Myanmar and hoped for the process of national reconciliation move forward.  They also appreciated the efforts ofthe Government of Myanmar, ASEAN and the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General in this context.

14. Participants welcomed the outcome ofthe 7th ASEAN Summit held in Brunei Darussalam on 5-6 November 2001.  The ARF Chair informed the Meeting that, at the Summit ASEAN Leaders agreed to further accelerate ASEAN's economic integration, identify far-reaching economic cooperation projects and promote further initiatives in bridging the development gap in ASEAN. During the ASEAN + 3 Summit, ASEAN leaders and the Leaders of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea agreed on building a close East Asian partnership in further contributing to regional peace, stability, and prosperity.

Transnational Crime of Concern to the Region

15. The Meeting agreed that transnational crimes continued to pose challenges to the peace and security of the region and that the subject of transnational crime should remain on the ISG's agenda. The Meeting discussed alternative formats to carry forward fruitful and productive discussion on these issues, including terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering and cyber crime.  Participants agreed that all these issues were intrinsically linked to each other and to the counter-terrorism agenda, and that adhoc workshops, seminars or symposia, including at the expert level, could provide an appropriate format to facilitate the emergence of tangible results and recommendations from the discussions. Some participants also suggested that the old format of an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Transnational Crime may still be beneficial as a good political mechanism and could possibly be held once a year.  The identified issues of transnational crime would continue to be on the agenda of the next ISG Meeting in Ha Noi and participating countries would convey ideas and proposals on these to the Co-Chairs in the intervening period.

16. Participants welcomed the adoption of the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Armsand light weapons in All Its aspects in New York in July 2001 and expressed their commitment to implementing the programme  of Action in the Asia-Pacific region. Participants recalled the Australian proposal for an ARF Small Arms Declaration, which had not attracted consensus, but noted the importance of ARF participating countries cooperating to address the humanitarian and socio-economic problems posed by illicit small arms trade, including the terrorism dimension.

Consideration of CBMs

17. The Meeting took note of the implementation of agreed CBMs and reports by organising countries on the following activities:

• The 2nd Law of the Armed Conflict Seminar held in bangkok from 7-10 August 2001 (Thailand).

• The Workshop for Mid-Level ARF Civilian and Defence Officials on Preventive Diplomacy held in Brunei from 10-14 September 2001 (Brunei and USA).

• The Fifth ARF Meeting of Heads of Defence Colleges/Institutions held in Tokyo from 28-31 August 2001

• The Seminar on Shipboard Waste Management held in Washington from 24-28 June 2001 (USA)

18. The Meeting revised the list of proposed CBM activities, removing those already implemented and moving some from Basket 2 to Basket 1.  The revised list is at ANNEX G.

19. The Meeting received draft Concept Papers for the following CBMs and agreed to present these for consideration of the ARF SOM to be held in Brunei in May 2002:

• Republic of Korea's Proposal to host a workshop on Defence / Military Officials' Cooperation within the ARF, to be held in Seoul from 28-30 August 2002.

• China's proposal for an ARF Seminar on Outsourcing of Military Logistics Support to be held in China in September 2002.

• US and India's proposal for an ARF Workshop on Maritime Security Challenges to be held in USA in September-October 2002.

20. The Meeting also took note of Singapore's proposal to host the 8th ARF Meeting of the Heads of Defence Colleges / Institutions in 2004

21. The Meeting noted that the Seminar on Economic Security for Asia Pacific in the first decades of the 21st Century, to be held in Vietnam, would be rescheduled for the second half of 2002.

22. The Meeting discussed New Zealand's Draft Concept Paper on a recording System for ARF CBM's.  Participants expressed their appreciation for the commendable work done by New Zealand and its offer to undertake the responsibility of compiling the Register as the initial input to the ISG Meeting in Ha Noi and for commendation to the ARF SOM and Ministerial Meeting.

Preventive Diplomacy

23. The Meeting agreed that the Paper on Concepts and Principles of Preventive Diplomacy adopted at the 8th ARF was a major achievement in the evolution of the ARF.  The Meeting decided that the ISG would continue to dicuss preventive Diplomacy as mandated by the ARF Ministers.  Account was also given of the ideas that had come up during the Workshop on Preventive Diplomacy held in Brunei in September 2001.

Future Direction of the ARF

(i)  Enhanced Role of the ARF Chair

24. Participants agreed that role of the ARF Chair could be enhanced in accordance with the Paper on this adopted at the 8th ARF and with the consensus of all participating countries.  Several suggestions on greater liaison and information exchange between the ARF chair and other international organisations, region-wide consultations, outreach with participating countries in between Meeting, especially with non-ASEAN participating countries, as well as interaction with track-II organisations, were discussed.  Other proposals included providing a matrix of  ARF Ministerial decisions, a Wise Men's Group to help the Chair, periodic reports by the ARF Chair about ASEAN Developments, facilitating discussions on potential areas of cooperation, compilation by the ARF Chair of existing cooperation in the ARF region on counter-terrorism which could serve as a basis for the ARF Workshops on the subject, and an assessment to be made about resources necessary for the ARF chair to discharge its enhanced role.

(ii)  ARF Register of Experts / Eminent Persons

25. The Meeting discussed the issue of nominations to the ARF Register of Experts/Eminent Persons (EEPs) on voluntary basis and agreed that participating countries may consider finalising their nominations by the time of the next ISG.  Interest was also expressed by some participants in operationalising the Register, and the Republic of Korea offered to come up with ideas to this end.

(iii)  Voluntary Briefings

26. The Meeting toke note of the following briefings made by participating countries:

• Japan - on Japan's anti terrorism measures.

• Canada - on Canadian Defence Spending.

• Russia - on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

• USA - on the Quadrennial Defence Review

• (APAN) website

• European Union - on the European Security and Defence Policy

• Viet Nam - on strengthening of Viet Nam's relations with neighboring countries

• Mongolia - on the North East Asian Security Situation.

• India - on Steps in Counter-Terrorism.

• Thailand - on the meetings of ASEAN Army and Navy Chiefs.

Arrangement for the next ISG Meeting

27. Viet Nam informed the meeting that the next ISG meeting would be held in Ha Noi from 22-24 April 2002.

Other Matters

28. The Meeting was briefed by the Russian Federation on the ongoing consultations on the text of the Pacific Concord.  A paragraph on international terrorism has been included in order to make the draft more in tune with the current international situation.

29. Defence officials briefed the ISG on the outcome of their discussions at the Defence Officials' Luncheon held on 20 December 2001.  Participants agreed that the Indian Discussion Paper on the theme of 'Maritime Security had served as a useful basis.  Singapore circulated a Concept Paper on 'Defence Dialogue witihin the ARF and it was felt thet comments on the paper could be communicated by end-January 2002 with a view to discussing it at the next ISG meeting in Ha Noi.  The ISG encouraged the continued holding of the Defence Officials' Luncheon as a useful confidence building measure.

Second ISG Meeting, 22-24 April 2002, Ha Noi, S.R. Viet Nam

Review of the Outcome of the First ISG Meeting in New Delhi and interim activities

30. India as the Co-chair of the first ISG Meeting in New Delhi, reviewed the outcomes of the firdt ISG Meeting and interim activities.  The Meeting noted that this review with satisfaction.

Exchange of Views on Regional dan International Security Situation

31. There were frank and substantive exchanges of views among the participants on the regional and international security situation which have impacts on the region since the 1st ISG Meeting in new Delhi.

32. There were general agreement among the participants that, on the whole, the situation in the region was relatively stable.  the meeting noted that stability in the region was further guaranteed by positive developments in the relations between major powers.  The process of cooperation and regional economic integration gained further momentum and efforts at resolving disputes and defusing tensions were further intensified.  However, the region continued to face challenges and  uncertainties due to the threat of terrorism, the global economy downturn and the widening development gap among regional countries, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, etc.

33. Participants welcomed the recent agreement to resume dialogue between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Republic of Korea (ROK) following the visit to Pyongyang by the Presidential Envoy of the ROK.  They encouraged the two Koreas to implement follow-up measures for the enhancement of inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation in keeping with the spirit of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration and emphasized the importance of holding the second inter-Korean Summit.  Participants reiterated the importance of the full implementation of the 1994 Agreed Framework, including the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organisation (KEDO) Project.  They welcomed reports that prospects for dialogue between the DPRK and the United States may be improving.  They also welcomed the resumption of the Red Cross Talks between the DPRK and Japan.  Some participants welcome the recent visits by President of the Republic of Indonesia to the DPRK and the ROK.

34. The Meeting exchanged views on the situation in the South China Sea and noted the progress made in the consultation between ASEAN and China on the regional Code of  Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) which constitutes a very important CBM contributing to peace and security in the region.  The Meeting was encouraged by the determination of the parties concerned towards the early adoption of the COC as well as their continued commitment to exercise self-restraint and peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea.

35. The Meeting reiterated support for the territorial integrity and national unity of Indonesia and expressed their hope for a durable stability and economic prosperity in Indonesia for the sake of peace, stability and development in the region.

36. The Meeting welcomed the result of the presidential election held on 14 April 2002 in East Timor in which Mr. Xanana Gusmao was elected the President of East Timor.  The Meeting reiterated support for the building of an independent state of East Timor and in this connection welcomed the planned Declaration of Independence of State of East Timor on 20 May 2002 which would contribute to peace, stability and security in the region.  The Meeting stressed the need for continued assistance from the international community to the reconstruction of East Timor.

37. Participants exchanged views on the situation in South Asia.  The Meeting welcomed the establishment of the Afghanistan Interim Administration and its efforts towards creating durable peace in Afghanistan, thus contributing to peace and stability in the region and the world at large.  the meeting welcomed the success of the Conference on Reconstruction of Afghanistan recently held in Tokyo and expressed its support for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

38. The Meeting welcomed positive developments in the national reconsiliation in Myanmar.  In this connection, the Meeting expressed appreciation for and encouraged further efforts by the Government of Myanmar and the international community.  The Meeting also expressed appreciation for the recent visit by the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General to Myanmar.

39. Participants noted that the general elections in Fiji last year had still not led to the formation of a government in accordance with the constitution of Fiji.  They agreed that upholding of constitutional provisions must be urged by the international community and that equal political, economic and social rights for the minorities communities of Fiji must be guaranteed.  they called for the rule of law and equal and non-discriminatory treatment to all Fijian citizens to return quickly to Fiji.  Some participants noted that there were good prospects for establishing a lasting peace in Bouganville, but that a serious crisis of law and order was undermining the stability of Solomon Islands.

40. Some participants expressed their concerns over the increased violence between Israel and Palestine which poses a serious threat to peace and stability not only in the Middle East but also in other regions.  It was felt that further efforts and initiatives by the international community were needed to help bring an immediate end to the violence and resume peaceful negotiations among parties concerned to attain durable and satisfactory solutions.

41. While recognising the importance of addressing the nexus between terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, some participants considered that there was a loss of momentum in the international non-profileration and disarmament and arms control agenda.

Terrorism and Transnational Crimes of Concern to the region

42. Participants shared the view that terrorism had become an immediate, direct and long term threat to the peace and stability of each and every country in the region and the world at large, and renewed their commitment towards concerted efforts to combat terrorism.  It was underlined that there can be no slackening in the global campaign against terrorism and its supporters anywhere.

43. Malaysia and the United States briefed the Meeting on the outcome of the workshop on Financial Measures Against Terrorism held in Honolulu on 24-26 March 2002.  Participants discussed the draft Statement on Terrorist Financing produced at the workshop and agreed to submit the revised Draft to the ARF SOM Meeting in May 2002 for further consideration.  The Revised Draft Statement appears as ANNEX H.

44. Thailand and Australia briefed the Meeting on the Report and recommendation of the Workshop on the Prevention of Terrorism held in Bangkok on 17-19 April 2002.  The Meeting agreed to submit the recommendations of the Bangkok Workshop to the ARF SOM Meeting for further considerations.  The Report and recommendation of the Workshop appears as ANNEX I.

45. The Meeting also welcomed Japan's intention to host a follow-up ARF Workshop on Counter-terrorism including measures adopted for the 2002 Football World Cup.

46. In the context of terrorism and counter-terrorism cooperation, participants expressed grave concerns over the serious threat to the region posed by transnational crime such as drug trafficking, money laundering, women and children smuggling, cyber crime and piracy, and their linkages with terrorist operations.  The Meeting agreed that exchange of experiences and cooperation in dealing with these crimes, including cyber crimes, should be further enhanced.

47. The Meeting explored ideas about the appropriate format to carry on effective discussion on these transnational crimes.  While recognising the merit of the work of the Expert Group Meetings on transnational crimes (EGMs) in creating the framework for discussion, participants were of the view that ad-hoc workshops, seminars or symposia could be appropriate formats for future discussions on those issues provided there was adequate expert participations.

Consideration of CBMs

48. The Meeting took note of the implementation of CBMs since the 1st ISG in India as follows:

• "ARF Peacekeeping Seminar: Best Practices and Lessons Learned" co-hosted by India, Malaysia and Canada in New Delhi on 20-21 March 2002.

• "ARF Workshop on Financial Measures Against Terrorism" co-hosted by Malaysia and the US in Honolulu Hawaii on 24-26 March 2002.

• "ARF Workshop on Prevention of Terrorism" co-hosted by Thailand and Australia in Bangkok from 17-19 April 2002.

49. The Meeting revised the List of proposed CBM activities, removing those already implemented and moving some from Basket 2 to Basket 1.  The revised list appears as ANNEX J.

50. The Meeting took note of the Concept Papers of the following CBMs and agreed to present these for consideration to the ARF SOM Meeting to be held in Brunei in May 2002:

• China's Concept Paper on the ARF Seminar on Military Logistics Out-sourcing Support to be held in China on 25-27 September 2002.

• ROK's Revised Concept Paper on Workshop on Defense/Military Official's Cooperation Within the ARF to be held in August 2002 in Singapore.

• Singapore's Concept Paper on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Seminar to be held in the first week of December 2002 in Singapore.

51. The Meeting took note of the US and INdia's proposal for rescheduling ARF Workshop on Maritime Security Challenges, with further details to be provided.

52. The Meeting also took note of Japan's proposal to hold a Second ARF Workshop on Counter-Terrorism to be held in Tokyo in September-October 2002.

53. The Meeting was briefed by the Russian Federation on the preparation for the 6th ARF Meeting of the Heads of Defense Colleges/Institutions to be held in Moscow 16-19 September 2002.

54. The Meeting took note of Singapore's Proposal to host the 8th ARF Meeting of the Heads of Defense Colleges/Institutions in 2004.

55. The Meeting commended the efforts made by New Zealand in developing a Concept Paper on Recording Mechanism of ARF CBMs and compiling the CBM Register as an initial input to the Meeting.  The Meeting continued to discuss the revised Concept Paper focusing on the key areas of the Recording Mechanism: the Scope and the Recorder.  On the Scope, Participants agreed that as a start ARF CBM Registration Form would focus on those CBMs which have been undertaken within the framework of ARF.  the introduction of ongoing CBMs outside the ARF Framework could be phased in at a later stage.  Concerning the Information Recorder, the participants agreed to submit two alternatives, namely the ARF Chair or the ISG-CBM Co-Chairs to the ARF SOM Meeting in Brunei May 2002 for consideration and decision.

Preventive Diplomacy

56. The Meeting reiterated that the adopted Paper on the Concept and Principles of PD was a useful snapshot of the state of the current discussion on PD in the ARF.  The Meeting agreed that as the challenge of terrorism dominated the ISG's agenda discussion on PD would be further discussed at the next ISG.  The Meeting took note of the Workshop on Preventive Diplomacy co-hosted by CSCAP and the Institute for International Relations of Viet Nam immediately after the ISG Meeting and noted that inputs from Track 2 activities could be a good source of reference for ISG-CBMs deliberation on Preventive Diplomacy in the future.

Future Direction of the ARF

57. Brunei Darussalam, as the current ARF Chair, presented its views on the present state and future direction of the ARF process.  The Meeting felt that some proposals mentioned in the briefing should be given further consideration at the forthcoming ARF Senior Officials' Meeting with the aims of bringing them into practice in the future.

(i)  Enhanced Role of the ARF Chair

58. Participants continued to exchange views on how to enhance the role of the ARF Chair along the line of the Paper on Enhanced Role of ARF the Chair adopted at the ARF-8 in Ha Noi in order to make the ARF Chair more responsive to the fast changing security situation in the region and the world.  It was felt that the ARF Chair could play a more active role in such areas as liasing and sharing information and experiences with the UN, other international organisations and Track 2 organisations, providing updates on the regional security situation, facilitating discussions on potential areas of cooperation in ARF, managing the Register of EEPs.  The participants also reiterated their support for ASEAN as the driving force of the ARF process.

(ii)  Terms of Reference for the Register of Experts/Eminent Persons

59. The Meeting agreed that the adoption of the Terms of Reference for ARF Experts/Eminent Persons (EEPs) in ARF-8 last July in Ha Noi had paved the way for the operation of the register of experts/eminent persons.  The Meeting was pleased to note that a number of ARF participating countries had submitted nominations of EEPs to the ARF Chair.  The Meeting encouraged ARF participating countries to continue to submit nominations on a voluntary basis by the ARF SOM in May so that the list of ARF EEPs could be submitted to ARF 9 for consideration and possible endorsement.

60. The Meeting noted the initial suggestions by the Republic of Korea on the Provosional Ideas on the Operational Mechanisms for the ARF EEPs.

(iii)  Annual Security Outlook

61. The Meeting noted the production of the two volumes of ARF Annual Security Outlook at the ARF-7 and ARF-8 as significant contribution to the promotion of confidence in the region.  In this connection, the Meeting encouraged all ARF participants to continue to participate in the production of the Annual Security Outlook (ASO) at the upcoming ARF Ministerial Meeting and submit their ASO to the ARF Chair by June 1st 2002.

(iv)  Voluntary background briefing on Regional Security Issues

62. The Meeting took note of the following briefings made by participating countries:

• The European Union briefed the Meeting on developments in its European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) since the declaration of operationality by the Laeken European Council (December 2001) notably the EU's decision to take over the UN police mission (IPTF) in Bosnia-Herzegovina from January 2003 and its availability to lead the follow-up operation to NATO's operation Amber Fox in the former Yugoslav Republic of  Macedonia should permanent EU-NATO arrangements be in place by then.

• Indonesia briefed the Meeting on its efforts to fight terrorism and other related issues, at the international, regional and national level.

• Malaysia briefed the Meeting on the outcome of the Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers on Terrorism on 1-3 April, 2002 which adopted "Kuala Lumpur declaration on International Terrorism" as another aspect of its contribution towards promoting international cooperation against terrorism.

• Laos briefed the Meeting on the Report of the Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic on the actions taken to implement Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001).

• Thailand briefed the Meeting on the annual Cobra Gold Military Exercise which has witnessed growing participation of ARF countries.

• The United States gave an update to the New Delhi briefing on the Asia-Pacific Area Network (APAN), an Internet site providing information on a wide range of military activities.  In addition the U.S. briefed on the Multinational Planning Augmentation Team (MPAT) process.  MPAT seems to develop efficiently deploy multinational headquarters for small scale contingencies in the Asia-Pacific region.

Other Matters

63. The Meeting took note of the briefing by Viet Nam as the Co-Chair of the Defence Officials' Lunch on the outcome of their discussions.  The briefing appears as ANNEX K.  Participants agreed that in-depth candid exchange of views among defence officials on the experiences drawn from anti-terrorism activities were very useful, which contribute to trust and confidence building among defence officials.

64. The Meeting endorsed Singapore's Concept Paper on "Defence Dialogue within the ARF", prepared in consultation with ASEAN countries and agreed to forward the Paper for the ARF-SOM's consideration in May 2002.  The aspect of number of participants, duration, timing and Agenda for the Defence Officials' Dialogue may be decided by the Co-Chairs of future ISGs.  The Concept Paper appears as ANNEX L.

65. The Meeting was briefed by the Russian Federation on the progress made in the consultations with ASEAN on the text of the Pacific Concord.

Co-Chairmanship of the ISG on CBMs for the intersessional year 2002/2003

66. The Meeting welcomed the offer by Laos PDR to assume the ASEAN Co-Chairmanship of the next Intersessional Support Group on Confidence Building Measures (ISG on CBMs) and agreed to recommend the issue of Co-chairmanship of the Intersessional Support Group on Confidence Building Measures (ISG on CBMs) for the Intersessional year 2002/2003 to the ARF SOM in May 2002 in brunei for consideration