WASHINGTON, Oct 5: The United States said on Wednesday it had no plans to sign a non-aggression treaty with Southeast Asia even though Russia, China and India had become signatories, underscoring security commitment to the region.

Australia, a key US ally, has also agreed to accede to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Treaty (Asean) of Amity and Cooperation, abandoning Canberra’s option to launch pre-emptive military strikes against suspectedterrorist bases in the region.

The three-decade old treaty bans signatories from using violence to settle conflicts in the region, a key policy of ASEAN, which was established during the height of the Cold War.

But the United States is reluctant to sign the treaty, which is also a precondition laid down by ASEAN for those wanting to participate in an inaugural East Asian Summit it would hold in December.

“We have a very active and productive dialogue with ASEAN on a full range of issues,” a State Department official said. “Although we have discussed the treaty in the past, we have no current plans to sign the agreement,” he said.

The official did not say why Washington is reluctant to ink the pact but some experts believe it is due to bureaucratic rather than strategic reasons. —AFP