III 112th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 218 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 29, 2011 Mr. Lugar (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Finance RESOLUTION Encouraging the United States Trade Representative to establish and articulate a strategy for initiating negotiations for a free trade agreement between the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Whereas the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in 1967, with Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand being original members; Whereas ASEAN membership has now expanded and includes 10 countries; Whereas the United States supports the centrality of ASEAN within East Asia; Whereas the United States was the first country to appoint an Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and has now appointed a resident Ambassador to the ASEAN Secretariat; Whereas ASEAN significantly contributes to regional stability in East Asia; Whereas over 40,000 students from ASEAN are studying in the United States and an increasing number of Americans are studying in ASEAN countries; Whereas ASEAN partners with the United States Government to combat global terror; Whereas the United States acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in 2009; Whereas ASEAN constitutes the fourth largest market for United States exports and, according to Department of Commerce figures, United States exports to ASEAN support over 450,000 jobs in the United States; Whereas ASEAN has a population of approximately 600,000,000 persons; Whereas two-way, United States-ASEAN trade totals approximately $180,000,000,000 annually; Whereas the nations of ASEAN are working toward economic integration; Whereas ASEAN has entered into free trade agreements with India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, covering nearly 50 percent of the world's population; and Whereas the United States and ASEAN signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) over five years ago, and the United States and ASEAN continue to work on trade-related initiatives: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the Senate that— (1)the United States Trade Representative, in consultation with other appropriate Federal agencies and interested stakeholders, should establish and articulate a strategy for initiating negotiations for a free trade agreement between the United States and ASEAN; and (2)at the time of free trade agreement negotiations, any pending bilateral issues between the United States and Burma, including economic sanctions, investment prohibition, travel restrictions or otherwise, should not deter the United States from engaging with other ASEAN nations regarding a potential free trade agreement, nor should the United States encourage trade with Burma, absent significant reforms within that country.