ASEAN cautiously encourages Myanmar

ASEAN cautiously encourages Myanmar

The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

When Myanmar's Prime Minister Gen. Khin Nyut shakes hands with
other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) and expresses his thanks to President Megawati
Soekarnoputri and other heads of state after the summit closure
on Tuesday, it should be seen not just as a matter of courtesy,
but a sincere expression of gratitude.

Gratitude to Megawati and other leaders, who have virtually
saved the military junta from international humiliation by
sacrificing their own convictions about Myanmar's opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her recent detention.

Even when the general arrived here on Monday he did not need
to worry about the issue, because ASEAN foreign ministers were
finalizing the draft of the statement to be announced by the
chairperson after the ASEAN leaders' meeting and their separate
summit with China, Japan and South Korea. President Megawati will
read out the statement on Tuesday. The ministers were apparently
confident that the prime minister would not bring good news about
Suu Kyi.

"The ASEAN leaders welcomed the positive developments in
Myanmar and the government's pledge to bring about the transition
to democracy. The roadmap as outlined by the Prime Minister of
Myanmar is a pragmatic approach and deserves understanding and
support. It is also agreed that sanctions are not helpful in
promoting peace and stability is essential for democracy to take
root," a draft of the statement reads.

The chairman's statement explains the results of the summit,
including the agreed framework for the establishment of the ASEAN
Community.

The leaders have set up the ways to achieve the ideal goal
through the framework of an ASEAN Security Community, ASEAN
Economic Community and ASEAN Social and Cultural Community.

Apart from the Myanmar issue, the chairman's statement will
also mention the reaffirmation of the regional grouping's leaders
that ASEAN shares a primary responsibility for strengthening
their peaceful and progressive national development and that they
are determined to ensure their stability for national interests
in accordance with ideals and aspirations of their peoples.

The statement also mentions the sustainability of the region's
economic development, saying it would be necessary to have a
secure political environment based on a strong foundation of
mutual interests generated by economic cooperation.

On terrorism, the leaders are expected to reaffirm the
determination to cooperate actively in mitigating the adverse
impact of terrorist attacks on ASEAN countries and urge the
international community to assist them in these efforts. In
addition, the leaders pledged to ensure the security and harmony
of the societies and the safety of the people and also of others
who are in the countries and in the region.

"We shared our concerns of the recent terrorist attacks in
Jakarta and at the UN headquarters in Iraq. We are determined to
further our joint efforts in combating terrorism in East Asia and
reaffirm our commitment to support global efforts on fighting
terrorism," says the statement.

Based on the briefing about the Korean peninsula crisis from
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyung, Chinese Prime Minister Wen
Jiabao and Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi, the ASEAN leaders
stated that they welcomed the convening of the Six-Party talks
(involving South Korea, China, Japan, Russia, the United States
and the Europe Union) as a positive step towards a peaceful
resolution of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and expressed
appreciation for the commitment showed by parties concerned and
their efforts to resolve the situation on the Korean Peninsula.