Dutch hope to hold ASEM summit

Dutch hope to hold ASEM summit

The European Union's incoming Dutch presidency on Wednesday said
it was hoping to hold a summit with key Asian nations in Hanoi in
October but warned of continuing differences with the region over
Myanmar's participation in the talks.

"We have good hopes we will succeed and have a summit in
Hanoi," Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot told reporters in
Brussels.

"We must find a solution quickly. We cannot let Burma
(Myanmar) hold the process of Asia Europe Meetings (ASEM)
hostage," Bot said.

But the Dutch Foreign Minister, whose country will take over
the European Union (EU) presidency from Ireland on July 1, said
European and Asian countries must apply "combined pressure" to
ensure change in military-ruled Myanmar.

"Burma should show some signs of goodwill," he underlined.
EU governments decided last week to cancel two upcoming ASEM
meetings because of Asian demands that Myanmar should take part
in the talks.

The meetings of European and Asian finance ministers in
Brussels in July and an encounter of the two sides economics
ministers in Rotterdam in September have been called off.

Cancellation of the talks has cast a shadow over an ASEM
summit to be held in Hanoi in October.

All three gatherings are part of the process of Asia-Europe
Meetings (ASEM) launched in Bangkok in 1996.

The Hanoi meeting is especially important because leaders are
expected to take a decision on enlarging ASEM to include the 10
new EU states as well as Cambodia and Laos.

Asian countries also want ASEM to include military-ruled
Myanmar.

But EU governments - led by Britain - have refused the
request, arguing that Myanmar,s ruling junta has made no progress
in improving human rights or releasing opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi from house arrest.

The EU decision has angered many Asian countries which say
Europe is endangering the entire ASEM relationship because of
problems with a small country.

The EU has imposed a visa and arms ban on Myanmar and also
imposed some trade sanctions because of Yangon,s use of forced
labor.

ASEM's Asian members include China, South Korea, Japan,
Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam
and Singapore. -- DPA