‘Centrist’ Asian Parties Establish Peace Commission

Mushahid Hussain Sayed of Pakistan, secretary-general of Centrist Democrats International Asia Pacific, right, confers with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, center left, during a signing ceremony in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh, Wednesday.


Political party representatives of nearly 40 Asian countries signed an accord in Phnom Penh Wednesday to establish a commission to deal with regional security and global stability issues.

The accord was the result of the fourth meeting of a grouping called Centrist Asia Pacific Democrats International. The CAPDI is part of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties, which is made up of 300 members.

The so-called CAPDI Peace Commission will “promote an environment of peace, stability and security in Asia by initiating and supporting negotiation and dialogue in various hot spots in the region,” said Mushahid Hussain Sayed, secretary-general of the Pakistan Muslim League and of ICAPP.

CAPDI, which includes political parties from China, North Korea, South Korea, Indonesia, Russia, claims to support a peaceful resolution of Iran’s nuclear build-up and disputes on the Korean peninsula, along with peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The group also aims to prevent violence and terrorism and rejects “extremist” politics.

The establishment of the Peace Commission comes amid growing tension between the two Koreas, growing international concern over Iran’s nuclear program and an ongoing US war in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said the Cambodian People’s Party wished to participate in CAPDI “to deal with problems in different countries as well as the region.”