Myanmar predicts West will pull back from threat<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Myanmarese Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw predicted
\nyesterday the West would pull back from punishing his country
\nwith economic and other sanctions after it was accorded observer
\nstatus in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).<\/p>\n
Addressing a press conference, Gyaw justified the military's
\nrole in politics and rejected a dialog between the government and
\nopposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.<\/p>\n
He also attacked the mass media for its \"bias\" reporting on
\nMyanmar and vowed to ban any journalist who writes negative
\nreports on Myanmar from entering the country.<\/p>\n
\"Why should we be bothered?\" Gyaw said when asked about the
\nthreat of sanctions spearheaded by the United States and the
\nEuropean Union (EU).<\/p>\n
\"I mean, it is not coming. There will not be any sanctions.
\nEven in the EU, there are differences of opinion,\" he continued.<\/p>\n
Developed countries have spearheaded a campaign to isolate
\nYangon to compel it to observe human rights and respect the
\nresults of the 1990 national elections won by the National League
\nfor Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi.<\/p>\n
European Commission Vice President Manuel Marin sparked a
\ndebate earlier this week when he warned that ASEAN's insistence
\non establishing links with the Myanmarese military junta could
\nendanger EU-ASEAN relations.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas responded by
\nsaying that other countries and organizations had no right to
\ndictate whether the association should or should not accept
\nMyanmar into its fold.<\/p>\n
Malaysia's Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Ahmad Kamil
\nJaafar, said that Europe was being hypocritical on issues of
\nhuman rights.<\/p>\n
The U.S. officials threatened to impose tougher sanctions on
\nMyanmar if repression worsens there despite public opposition
\nfrom Asian countries.<\/p>\n
Secretary of State Warren Christopher said here he would raise
\nconcerns about Myanmar's crackdown on pro-democracy activists
\nwhen he meets with ASEAN ministers and their dialog partners
\ntoday.<\/p>\n
\"We're very concerned about the situation in Burma (Myanmar),
\nconcerned that the indication of additional strictures or
\nrepressive steps not prevent a dialog between SLORC (the State
\nLaw and Order Restoration Council) and Aung San Suu Kyi,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Gyaw held meetings with Irish Foreign Minister Dick Spring and
\nAustralian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.<\/p>\n
After the meeting Spring said that it is important to
\ncontinue further consultations with Yangon. \"I think they
\ncertainly understood our concerns. I think its important that we
\nhave further meetings where these concerns can be expressed,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Downer also said that he had made Australia's position clear
\nto his Myanmarese counterpart.<\/p>\n
\"We want to see a move towards democracy in Burma (Myanmar),\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
However when asked Downer would say whether he would raise the
\nissue in today's ARF meeting.<\/p>\n
\"I don't want to foreshadow in the media what I'm going to say
\nat the ARF tomorrow,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Election<\/p>\n
Gyaw noted that his government could not accept the results of
\nthe election, because the country had no constitution when the
\nelection was held in 1990.<\/p>\n
\"All of a sudden, without (considering) the constitution, a
\ngroup of people claimed to win a so-called election,\" Gyaw said,
\ncontending that there would be problems should the NLD be allowed
\nto proceed. For instance, \"how many years they will be serving as
\nmembers of parliament or representatives\".<\/p>\n
He rejected direct dialog with Suu Kyi because the government
\nconsiders her as an individual. \"If we have a dialog with a
\nparticular person, then there are many people in our country who
\nwould claim: `Look, I am also someone that should be engaged in
\nthe dialog.'\"<\/p>\n
\"The dialog is a process where other parties will have to take
\npart. We have already established the national convention, which
\nis the best vehicle for the dialog. But the NLD walked out of the
\nconvention. And by doing so, they lost the chance for a dialog,\"
\nhe added.<\/p>\n
He said the NLD could propose a dialog with the State Law and
\nOrder Restoration Council, the junta's official name, by
\nreturning to a national convention which is drafting the
\ncountry's constitution.<\/p>\n
Speaking on human rights, Gyaw asserted that his country
\nrespects human rights, although Myanmar has not yet endorsed the
\nUniversal Declaration on Human Rights.<\/p>\n
\"Like any country in Southeast Asia and Asia in general, we
\nhave to take into account our culture, our history and our
\nsurroundings. What is good in other countries cannot be good for
\nour country,\" Gyaw said.<\/p>\n
The western countries are expected to put more pressure on the
\nASEAN members to take a stronger lines against Yangon at today's
\nASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).<\/p>\n
ASEAN has maintained its constructive engagement policy toward
\nMyanmar and welcomed it as an observer to the association,
\ndespite a warning from an EU official that this could jeopardize
\nthe strengthening of ties between the two groups.<\/p>\n
Gyaw will represent Myanmar at the ARF, which also includes
\nthe United States, the EU and 10 Asia-Pacific countries. He said
\nhe would stand ready to listen and give explanations on the \"real
\nconditions\" of his country when \"internal\" issues were raised at
\nthe forum. (team)<\/p>",
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