It is known as Kuala Lumpur Declaration, signed by ASEAN Foreign Ministers on November 1971. This is the first initiative adopted by ASEAN to create peace and stability to this region.

The ZOPFAN Declaration was a statement of political intent to be achieved by building national and regional resilience over the years following the establishment of ASEAN. The ZOPFAN Declaration committed all the ASEAN Member Countries to "exert initially necessary efforts to secure the recognition of and respect for Southeast Asia as a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality, free from any manner of interference by outside Powers." Furthermore, ZOPFAN called on all of Southeast Asian countries "to make concerted efforts to broaden the areas of cooperation which would contribute to their strength, solidarity and closer relationship."

Z stands for zone. Zone means an area that has features or components which are territory, population, government and sovereignty.

P stands for peace. It is a situation where the prevalence of harmonious and orderly relationship between member countries.

One of the conditions to create peace is where there is no conflict of ideological, political, economic, military and social between zonal states themselves or outside powers that affect this region.

F stands for freedom. Freedom for member countries from control, domination or interference by other state in the conduct of internal and external affairs. Implementation of this concept will maintain security and stability of the region.

N stands for neutrality. Maintenance of zonal impartiality in any conflict between other states according to United Nation Charter and International Laws. Zonal states shall ensure their involvement directly on indirectly on conflicts.

Mutual respect for the independent, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations;

The right of every state to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion;

Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another;

Settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful means;

Renunciation of the use of force; Effective cooperation among themselves.

TAC SEANWFZ ( 1995) ARF

This treaty was produced in Indonesia, 24 February 1976 during the 1st ASEAN Summit by five older ASEAN Member States, namely: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand .Cambodia signed the Treaty on 23 January 1995 and ratified on 30 June 1995.

It is a rule of conduct that must be complied by member states. It is based on aspirations to promote peace and stability in this region.

The Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ) or the Bangkok Treaty of 1995, is a nuclear weapons moratorium treaty between 10 Southeast Asian member-states under the auspices of the ASEAN: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. It was opened for signature at the treaty conference in Bangkok, Thailand, on 15 December 1995 and it entered into force on March 28, 1997 and obliges its members not to develop, manufacture or otherwise acquire, possess or have control over nuclear weapons.

ASEAN decided to promote external dialogues on enhancing security in the region.

This policy direction pave the way for the establishment of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) as a multilateral consultative forum aimed at building confidence among the countries with security interests in the Asia-Pacific region.

The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held its inaugural meeting in Bangkok in July 1994.

It can be concluded that ZOPFAN at Kuala Lumpur Declaration is pioneer step taken by ASEAN to maintain regional peace and stability.

"The tragedy of Vietnam is a telling testimony to the dangers of big power interference, evolvement, or intervention in the internal affairs of small countries. The lesson of the Vietnam War is clear - big powers should leave small countries to themselves, to evolve their own systems of government and to work out their own programmes for progress and prosperity."

CONCLUSION