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Tuesday, April 12, 2005
No consensus on Myanmar
By Linette C. Ramos
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
AMID mounting calls to oppose Myanmar’s chairmanship of the Asean next year, the Foreign Ministers’ Retreat came to a close yesterday without a consensus on whether the military-ruled country should be allowed to assume chairmanship.
Laos Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Somsavat Lengsavad said in a press briefing last night that the issues against Myanmar were not discussed during their day-long retreat.
The officials deferred the discussion on the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) until July.
Instead of intervening in the internal affairs of Myanmar, the ministers just left it to Myanmar to decide on its own whether they will head the association.
Deferred
But in a later media briefing, Malaysia and Singapore’s foreign ministers said they discussed the situation in Myanmar and the issues raised against its military rule during an extended coffee break.
However, no consensus on the chairmanship was reached.
“It has been agreed by the ministers that since the retreat was an informal meeting, we will discuss the issues on Myanmar during the Asean ministerial meeting…it was not included in the agenda,” Lengsavad told local and foreign media last night.
As chair of the Asean standing committee, Laos will host the 38th Asean Ministerial Meeting in Vientiane in July.
Politicians from some Asean member-countries, including the Philippines, are opposed to Myanmar’s taking over of the Asean chairmanship next year until it restores democracy and releases its political prisoners, including Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Briefed
Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid bin Syed Jaafar Albar said Myanmar Foreign Minister U Nyan Win briefed them about the internal affairs of his country during a coffee break, which the ministers appreciated.
The other ministers were also given a chance to openly give their views about the current situation in Myanmar, which its minister “calmly” listened to and noted.
Win reportedly assured he will relay the observations to their government leaders.
“The Myanmar government will have to decide on this by themselves. They know better than anyone else if they are capable of taking over the chairmanship,” said Singapore Foreign Minister George Yong-Boon Yeo during his media briefing.
Other issues discussed during the three-day retreat were the ministerial meeting in July, the East Asia Summit in Malaysia in December, the initial key points of the proposed Asean charter and the proposed conversion of the Asean Fund to the Asean Development Fund.
The ministers also agreed they will finalize during the ministerial meeting who will be the participants to the East Asia Summit.
Amity treaty
Aside from the Asean “Plus Three” (China, South Korea and Japan) member-countries, other nations may also join the summit provided they are full dialogue partners of Asean, they have substantial relations with Asean and they would accede to the association’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.
The three-day retreat, held for the first time in the Philippines since the association was created 38 years ago, officially ends today when the ministers and their senior government officials are scheduled to return to their respective countries.
At the close of the retreat, Lengsavad, Syed Jafaar Albar and Yong-Boon Yeo thanked and congratulated the Philippine government and local officials for their hospitality and for contributing to the success of their meeting.
(April 12, 2005 issue)
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