Brazilian FM signs TAC in Bali, Indonesia

Brazilian Minister of External Relations Antonio Patriota signed the Declaration on Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) here on Wednesday. The signing ceremony was attended by Patriota along with foreign ministers from 10 ASEAN member states as well as ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan. Brazil thus became the first Latin American nation that signed the TAC with the ASEAN. "This is a good development, indicating that the TAC is becoming universal," Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said after a bilateral meeting with his Brazilian counterpart earlier in the day. China was the first non-ASEAN member state to sign the TAC, followed by India and Japan. The European Union and the United States both acceded to the TAC in July, 2009. TAC is a peace treaty among Southeast Asian countries established by the association's founding members which began to take effect on Feb. 24, 1976. The treaty was amended on December 15, 1987 by allowing non- ASEAN members to join the treaty and was amended again on July 25, 1998 by adding a clause to the treaty related to compulsory approval by all member states.