Malaysian PM conveys concerns to Myanmar leader<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir
\nMohamad met the leader of Myanmar's military government yesterday
\nand conveyed concern over the situation in that country,
\nMalaysia's foreign minister said.<\/p>\n
Mahathir met Senior Gen. Than Shwe, chairman of the State
\nPeace and Development Council (SPDC) and Myanmar's prime
\nminister, ahead of a summit of Asian nations in the Malaysian
\ncapital.<\/p>\n
Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Badawi told reporters the
\ngeneral informed Mahathir of recent changes affecting the
\ngovernment in Yangon.<\/p>\n
\"These changes are intended to give the government greater
\ncapacity for development, increase the pace of development in
\nMyanmar,\" Abdullah said.<\/p>\n
Last month the State Law and Order Restoration Council
\n(SLORC), which had ruled the country with an iron fist since
\nseizing power in 1988, was dissolved as part of a surprise
\ngovernment change that led to the creation of the SPDC.<\/p>\n
Abdullah said Mahathir expressed his views on the situation in
\nMyanmar to Than Shwe.<\/p>\n
Malaysia backed down yesterday from its previous insistence
\nthat Myanmar be allowed to attend an Asia-Europe summit in London
\nnext year.<\/p>\n
\"It is not a region-to-region kind of meeting. It is not an
\nASEAN-Europe meeting,\" Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
\ntold a news conference. \"There is therefore no automatic
\nmembership especially for Myanmar.\"<\/p>\n
But for meetings between the Association of Southeast Asian
\nNations and the European Union, \"our stand is very clear,\" he
\nsaid. \"For this matter, all ASEAN members are involved.\"<\/p>\n
\"It has always been our principle not to interfere in the
\ninternal affairs of other countries, but he (Mahathir) did
\nexpress the view,...this expression of concern about the Myanmar
\nsituation (expressed) by other leaders with whom we have met,\"
\nAbdullah said.<\/p>\n
Than Shwe said in a statement after arriving in the Malaysian
\ncapital on Saturday that his presence at the three-day summit
\nstarting later yesterday showed Myanmar's commitment to work with
\nASEAN in all activities.<\/p>\n
Mahathir sparked a furor in September when he said ASEAN might
\nboycott next year's summit if Myanmar were barred.<\/p>\n
Mahathir, who boycotted an Asia-Pacific summit in the United
\nStates in 1993, said that any discrimination against Myanmar
\nwould amount to discrimination against ASEAN.<\/p>\n
But British officials ruled out Myanmar's attendance due to EU
\nsanctions which deny visas to officials from Burma, renamed
\nMyanmar by the junta which seized power in 1988.<\/p>\n
Other ASEAN members had maintained that ASEAN membership did
\nnot automatically qualify a country to join the Asia-Europe
\nsummit because countries take part on an individual basis.<\/p>\n
The Asia-Europe meeting in Bangkok last year grouped the 15
\nnations of the EU with 10 East Asian economies -- the seven ASEAN
\nnations at the time (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
\nPhilippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) plus China, South
\nKorea and Japan. Myanmar joined ASEAN along with Laos in July.<\/p>\n
ASEAN admitted Myanmar in July despite protests from several
\nwestern countries and the European Union which cited the poor
\nhuman rights record of the Myanmar junta.<\/p>\n
The Asian leaders were expected to discuss a planned summit
\nwith the European Union set for next April in London, delegates
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
A meeting set for last month between the EU and ASEAN member
\nstates was postponed because of disagreement over Myanmar, which
\nhas been criticized by the West for human rights abuses and for
\ncurbing political activities of the opposition led by Nobel
\nlaureate Aung San Suu Kyi.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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