EU sees no talks with Myanmar yet

EU sees no talks with Myanmar yet

BRUSSELS (Reuter): European Union (EU) foreign ministers have said that the human rights situation in Myanmar was worsening and that Yangon's membership of the ASEAN trading bloc did not imply it could take part in EU-Asian talks.

ASEAN, the Association of South East Asian Nations, will formally embrace Myanmar as a member at its next ministerial meeting in Malaysia on July 24 and July 25.

"The deteriorating human rights situation in Myanmar is a matter for serious concern to the EU," said a statement issued after the ministers met in Luxembourg Thursday.

The ministers in their statement said membership in ASEAN did not automatically mean Myanmar could join ASEM, the main EU-Asia discussion forum.

The EU, reacting to accusations of human rights abuse by the Yangon military junta, has cut off high-level contacts with Myanmar and withdrawn various trading privileges.