ASEM summit opens in Hanoi

ASEM summit opens in Hanoi

Tini Tran, Associated Press/Hanoi

An Asia-Europe summit opened on Friday overshadowed by the
European Union's threat to slap fresh sanctions on one of the
grouping's newest Asian members -- military-ruled Myanmar -- if
it fails to release its high-profile dissident Aung San Suu Kyi.

During opening ceremonies at Vietnam's National Assembly
chambers, several European leaders cited the difficulties in
preparing this year's meeting -- nearly scuttled over Myanmar,
also known as Burma, whose membership was championed by fellow
Asian nations. But the leaders expressed optimism that the summit
could help resolve that and other regional issues.

The informal grouping known as the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)
on Thursday welcomed Myanmar, along with two other Asian and 10
European nations as new members to the forum, created for the two
continents to discuss trade, security and political concerns.

"We have already demonstrated our ability to approach and
tackle difficult questions such as the enlargement of ASEM,
including human rights and recent developments in Burma/Myanmar,"
said Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission.

"We will discuss this important issue at this summit, and I
hope this will translate into a shared commitment to work toward
positive change in that country."

Also on the agenda were nuclear tensions on the Korean
peninsula, terrorism and economic cooperation.

The European Union (EU), which has spoken out strongly about
rights violations by Myanmar's government, dropped its objections
last month to allowing the country to attend the summit.

But the EU imposed a Friday deadline -- coinciding with the
meeting's start -- for the country's military rulers to release
Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate.

During the first closed session of the summit, German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder took Myanmar to task.

"We should stay in dialogue about human rights in our
countries and speak to the universal standards," he said in
remarks released afterward. "In this respect, we expect from
Myanmar, as a new member of ASEM, further progress."

There was no immediate word response from Myanmar.

On Thursday, Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot, whose country
holds the EU Presidency, said the European nations would meet on
Monday to formally approve new sanctions, as it grew increasingly
unlikely that Myanmar would agree to the EU conditions.

The proposed sanctions include extending a visa ban on Myanmar
military authorities and their families, barring EU companies
from providing loans and other financing to Myanmar state-owned
companies, and other measures.

This year's addition of 13 new nations to the two-day summit
is seen as a rejuvenation of the 25-member organization, which
already includes Asian economic powerhouses such as China, Japan
and South Korea and European stalwarts including France and
Germany. The European Commission is also a member.

The forum, begun in 1996, was meant to be counter U.S.
influence in both Asia and Europe. This year, an undercurrent of
negative sentiment toward increasingly unilateral U.S. policy was
evident.

Both Asian and European leaders emphasized the role of the
United Nations and a need for more effective multilateralism.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi called for expansion of
cooperation under ASEM.

"We should further promote the revitalization of cooperation
within ASEM. We must start taking concrete measures to achieve
closer economic partnership, as well as to cope with the issue of
cultural diversity in the era of globalization," Koizumi said.

Delegates said they didn't expect the summit to be dominated
only by the Myanmar controversy.

During the meeting, South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun was
expected to seek support for his country's attempts to find a
peaceful resolution to the North Korea nuclear weapons issue.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sought a lifting of a 15-year arms
ban from the EU and has already secured support from French
President Jacques Chirac despite objections from other EU members
and the United States.

Chirac told China's Xinhua news agency prior to the Hanoi
summit that China has changed since the ban was enacted in 1989
after the government crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in
Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

Chirac was expected to arrive in China for a visit on Friday.

Other EU countries, led by the Netherlands and Sweden, have so
far blocked efforts to lift the ban, citing continuing human
rights concerns. The United States is lobbying against lifting
the ban out of fears it will offset the military balance in east
Asia and due to China's poor human rights record.

In addition, both Germany and Japan were expected to lobby for
permanent seats on the UN Security Council. Only the United
States, Britain, France, Russia and China currently have
permanent Security Council seats and wield veto power, giving
them effective say over the body's agenda.