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Participants in the fifth Asia Security Summit, which ended in Singapore Sunday, called for more practical cooperation to forge a security architecture among nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Some 250 defense ministers, military officials and scholars from more than 20 countries and regions in Asia Pacific, North America and Europe including the United States, India, Britain, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and China took part in the three-day event, which is also known as the Shangri-la Dialogue.

The meeting discussed the region's security threats such as international terrorism, trafficking of arms and drugs, as well as maritime piracy and natural disasters.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his keynote address at the opening reception on Friday night that the trend within Asia is towards greater economic cooperation, and hence a more stable, more secure regional order.

"As the regional countries strengthen their economic linkages with one another, their strategic priorities will shift towards attending to these relationships," he noted.

On constructing a regional security community, defense ministers felt that there is a need to move from dialogue to practical cooperation so that regional countries can more effectively address common threats and challenges such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime security and peace support missions.

"It is critical that countries both in the region and stakeholders from outside the region move from principles to practice, to implement cooperative measures which will create real capacities for prevention, protection and even consequence management," Singapore's Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean said at a plenary session on Sunday.

Noting that globalization has made countries in the world more dependent on one another in terms of security and economic well-being, Teo stressed that they have to develop better understanding and substantively strengthen cooperation to meet their national security priorities, particularly maritime security and energy security.

While admitting the importance of existing regional groupings and structures, the ministers agreed that more activities to build regional security capacity, such as table-top or joint exercises, should be encouraged.

They also came up with several proposals for strengthening regional cooperation in areas of humanitarian relief and maritime security.

Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee stressed his country's support for strengthening regional cooperation to enhance maritime security, saying that India would be willing to assist a Malacca Straits patrolling project "in whatever capacity is deemed suitable."

"India has developed capabilities in various aspects of maritime security and would be most willing to share its expertise with countries of the region," Mukherjee said.

He added that India would also be happy to be associated with the initiative to set up a regional marine center, which is expected to help establish common understanding and procedures.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak proposed "the setting up of a regional-based humanitarian relief coordinating center, by which member states will commit a set of forces, made up of civilian and military personnel, in the event a disaster strikes in any part of the region."

He envisioned that training and contingency plans could be drawn out and that the center could be activated when help is needed.

He also urged countries in the region to look at security and defense issues from a more altruistic perspective to seek common and comprehensive security for all of their peoples.

The Republic of Korea is planning to establish a comprehensive cooperative response system for regional and international disasters by setting up a channel for information sharing and coordination of required human resources, supplies and equipment, according to Yoon Kwang Ung, South Korean Defense Minister.

Japanese Minister of State for Defense Fukushiro Nukaga also proposed to develop strategies and procedures in advance to facilitate a fast response by armed forces in the region in case of natural disasters.

Apart from enhancing regional security cooperation, participants also exchanged views on the United States' engagement in Asia's security architecture, the rise of India as a global player and the challenges of force modernization.

US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld reiterated that the US must and will stay engaged in the Pacific region as a partner in "an expanding network of security cooperation in this region, both bilaterally between nations and multilaterally among nations."

He stressed that countries concerned can make the region more peaceful and prosperous in the coming decades by continuing to work together in constructive ways, while mindful and respectful of different perspectives and different interests.

He added that it is the perspective of the US government that China is an important stakeholder in the world system, which was echoed by Mukherjee who said that developing friendly cooperation with China is one of the priorities of India's foreign policy.

Organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the annual dialogue has been held at Singapore's Shangri-la hotel since its inauguration in 2002.

(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2006)