MANILA – The Philippines has asked members of Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) to support a recent arbitration ruling invalidating China's expansive South China Sea claim.

READ: Arbitral court's ruling on Philippines vs China
http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/12/16/read-arbitral-courts-ruling-on-philippines-vs-china

Philippine foreign affairs minister Perfecto Yasay Jr. said the 10-nation bloc must be guided by the rule of law in settling the South China Sea dispute.

"The decision has provided a solid legal foundation on which a rules-based approach for resolving disputes in the South China Sea can be built," Yasay said in a meeting with ASEAN member-states in Laos.

"The Philippines strongly affirms its respect for this milestone decision as an important contribution to ongoing efforts in addressing disputes in the South China Sea."

The gathering was the first time regional players -- including China and the United States -- have met en masse since a UN-backed tribunal delivered a hammer blow to Beijing's claim to vast stretches of the sea.

Yasay urged other member-states to support legal and diplomatic processes, saying this will reaffirm ASEAN's "centrality and solidarity in the regional security architecture that would enhance ASEAN's voice and growing influence in the international community."

A statement released by the Philippine foreign affairs department also called for the ASEAN to have a unified position on issues.

The DFA statement particularly called on ASEAN to ''effectively address the security challenges affecting the region, especially the on-going developments in the South China Sea."

The discord within the 10-nation bloc was again palpable as two of its member-states, Laos and Cambodia, are seen to be blocking a united ASEAN stand on the South China Sea.

ASEAN boasts four countries who have competing claims with Beijing to parts of the sea, and is fiercely divided on the issue.

Rival claimants have accused China of deftly forging alliances with smaller member countries like Laos, this year's host, and Cambodia through aid and loans to divide the once consensus-driven bloc.

Insiders accused Cambodia of scuppering moves to include a response to the tribunal ruling in a joint ASEAN communique -- by the end of the first day of talks there was still no agreement.

"We need to put our house in order," one diplomat involved in discussions told AFP Sunday. "But we still have not agreed on anything."

Another ASEAN diplomat added: "We remain deadlocked. We're back to the negotiating table."

The main sticking point was over whether to refer to the international tribunal ruling and if so how, a Southeast Asia diplomat told AFP.

Some countries are pushing to include a reference that urges all countries to fully "respect diplomatic and legal process", he said -- in line with statements released by the European Union, the US and Japan following the UN-backed decision.

Other countries are opposing any mention of the ruling.

Another diplomat said ministers would continue talks on Monday but warned that if a statement was published in the coming days it would likely be "really watered down".

The impasse in Vientiane has led to fears of a repeat of a 2012 summit in Cambodia where the bloc failed to issue a joint statement for the first time in its history because of disagreements over the South China Sea.

A failure by ASEAN to respond to the tribunal will not do much to counter criticism that the bloc risks fading into obscurity as a talking shop with little real diplomatic clout.

The UN tribunal ruling earlier this month infuriated Beijing but was a victory for the Philippines, which brought the case, and for fellow ASEAN members Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia who also claim parts of the South China Sea.

The bloc's paralysis on how to respond comes as China ratchets up its rhetoric and military maneuvers in the sea whilst hitting out at the US. – with AFP