EU and ASEAN divided on Myanmar contact group

EU and ASEAN divided on Myanmar contact group

JAKARTA (AFP): The European Union (EU) has thrown its support
behind a Canadian proposal to set up a UN-linked contact group on
Myanmar, but senior ASEAN officials have rejected the idea,
delegates said yesterday.

"It is a possible way of getting a real dialogue going. But
any way is welcomed at the moment," said Gwyn Morgan, head of the
Southeast Asia division at the European Commission, after the
opening of the ASEAN post-ministerial conference.

Canada on Tuesday proposed a United Nations-sponsored contact
group which would open a dialog on the human rights situation in
Myanmar.

But delegates of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) have flatly rejected the proposal.

"That was a bit disturbing for me, I don't think we will
support that. We will respond to it in our quiet way, not in
public," said Ahmad Kamil Jaafar, Secretary General of the
Malaysian Foreign Ministry.

Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy said Tuesday it was
important to win the support of ASEAN countries if the proposed
contact group was to succeed.

"They will win support from their friends, but not from
ASEAN ... I think they (Canada) are barking up the wrong tree,"
Jaafar told AFP.

He said ASEAN had a different way of dealing with the problems
of Myanmar.

"We would like to discuss frankly and even forcefully issues
in the quiet. It is not our habit to play to the gallery," Jaafar
said.

The European parliament was Wednesday due to hold a debate on
EU relations with Myanmar, given the recent death in custody of a
European businessman in Yangon.

A senior Irish delegate at the post-ministerial conference
told AFP that the members of the EU would take a "tough line" on
Myanmar in response to the strong public pressure in many
European countries.

ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, has a policy of
"constructive engagement" stressing diplomatic and trade links to
promote more openness in Myanmar.

Western countries has called for a more hard-line approach
against the Myanmarese military junta.