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.