REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NAY PYI TAW -- Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Saturday expressed serious concern about developments in the South China Sea, which has increased tension in the region.

In their joint statement issued after the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, they urged all parties concerned --in accordance with the universally recognized principles of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS) 1982-- to exercise self-restraint and avoid actions that could undermine peace and stability in the area.

The ASEAN foreign ministers also called for peaceful settlement of disputes, without resorting to threat or using force.

The high level diplomats of the 10 ASEAN member states also underscored the need to maintain peace and stability, maritime security, navigational freedom around the South China Sea, and compliance with ASEAN Six related to the South China Sea and the Joint Statement of the 15th ASEAN-China Summit, held to mark the 10th anniversary of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC).

They also called on all parties involved in the DOC to implement the DOC fully and effectively to create an environment which displays confidence in the area.

They underscored the need for all parties to work closely to adhere to the standards set down in the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea.

Territorial maritime disputes in the South China Sea had the potential to evolve into a conflict among those nations which partly or wholly claim the area as part of their sovereignty.

ASEAN, which was founded in 1967, is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

This week UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on China and Vietnam to "exercise self restraint" in the South China Sea, referring to the escalation of tensions between the two neighboring communist countries, after Beijing unilaterally announced a plan to move oil rigs into the disputed waters.

In the meantime, US and Philippine marines began a joint excise in an area in the South China Sea off the Philippine coast on Friday, May 9, aimed at improving their fighting capability. The exercise came as tension between the Philippines and China was escalating over mutual claims to the strategic waters.

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