Indonesia's foreign minister indicated Thursday that the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) was moving towards a consensus on the South China Sea territorial dispute, dpa reported. Speaking at Phnom Penh International Airport, Marty Natalegawa said talks with Cambodia, chair of the 10-member bloc, had been "very, very constructive." "Essentially, the past 36 hours have been an effort to find the most basic and yet fundamental of principles of ASEAN on the South China Sea," he said. "I believe we have essentially a consensus, but it will be confirmed by tomorrow morning." Natalegawa was touring the region after ASEAN failed to agree a joint position at the end of an annual ministerial meeting held in Phnom Penh last week. It was the first time in ASEAN's 45-year history that it did not issue a joint statement at the end of its meetings. Diplomats blamed the failure on disagreements over handling South China Sea disputes. Beijing claims nearly all of the sea, which holds key shipping lanes and is believed to be rich in oil and gas deposits. ASEAN members Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei have competing claims, as does Taiwan. "We had a very good discussion last week. We all learnt from it. We are wiser as a result. But now we are moving forward," said Natalegawa. He added that a statement expected to be issued by the bloc chair tomorrow would "convey to the world that ASEAN is back in business and is actually strongly united under our chair." ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
