Isolating Myanmar is not effective, Hassan says
Tiarma Siboro and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Denpasar
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda has said that Myanmar needs to move forward with the democratization process, but has emphasized that isolating the country or imposing sanctions against it will not be effective.
"We have noted the history of a series of sanctions -- that they have never been effective. As member countries of ASEAN it never crossed our mind to do such a thing," Hassan told The Jakarta Post and Kompas on his arrival in Denpasar, Bali, on Tuesday evening.
He said that ASEAN had always preferred dialog and that it would be the only way to settle the Myanmar issue.
"I believe the statement about the expulsion of Myanmar from ASEAN from Prime Minister Mahathir is his own personal statement," Hassan said, commenting on a recent statement by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Myanmar.
As the chair of ASEAN, Hassan said Indonesia would continue to emphasize that there was an urgent need for Myanmar to move ahead with the democratization process.
"The ongoing process has not been as we would have expected and the world has lost its patience with Myanmar; we maintain our position that it has to respond to the world's demand," Hassan said.
He further disclosed that Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung planned to visit Indonesia on Monday, to convey a special message to President Megawati Soekarnoputri.
"We hope that they will give us more than just a description of the latest development, but also some indication of a solution to the problem," Hassan said.
Earlier in the day, Hassan told reporters in a Jakarta joint press conference with Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that Myanmar had already admitted that the case of Aung San Suu Kyi was a setback for democratization and reconciliation in Myanmar as well as a backward step for ASEAN.
The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her nonviolent promotion of democracy has been detained by the government since a clash between her supporters and a pro-government mob left an unknown number of people dead May 30. She has been seen only once since then, by Razali Ismail, a former Malaysian diplomat who is the United Nations' special envoy to Myanmar. The junta claims that she is fine and in protective custody.
Myanmar's military government said Tuesday it has freed 91 opposition members, mostly from pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party, from detention since her arrest more than 50 days ago.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was quoted at the weekend as saying ASEAN might expel Myanmar as a last resort if Suu Kyi were not freed. But Thailand, fearing an influx of migrants, does not favor isolating Myanmar.
Speaking to reporters in Kuala Lumpur Tuesday, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid said that ASEAN could only decide by consensus -- a tradition since the group was founded in the 1960s -- and that expulsion would be a "last resort." "In order for us to reach that result, there is a need for it to be discussed and for the ASEAN countries to arrive at a consensus," he was quoted by AP. "The most important thing - our concern - is the credibility of ASEAN."
Malaysia supported bringing Myanmar into ASEAN in 1997.
Last month, ASEAN called for Suu Kyi's release, a major breach with the organization's tradition of non-interference in internal affairs of member states.
European countries are likely to raise unscheduled issues of Myanmar and Aceh in the fifth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) this week, however Indonesia has assured that it may not be reflected in the chairman statement.
"They (Europe) are likely to raise the issues on Aceh and Myanmar, but so far it may not be mentioned in the planned chairman statement," Indonesia's Foreign Ministry Director General for America and Europe Arizal Effendy said Tuesday on the sideline of the senior official meeting of ASEM in Bali. The Indonesian government is battling a rebel group in the western- most province of Aceh.
He underlined that the two issues might be discussed in the foreign ministers meeting, beginning on Wednesday, and Indonesia is ready to answer any question on the war-torn province.
"In this era of openness we cannot hide those possibilities and we will provide them with the latest update on Aceh," Arizal told The Jakarta Post.
However, Indonesia's Foreign Ministry director for Asia Europe cooperation Retno Marsudi said that Asian member countries agreed that there were a lot more important issues to be discussed in the meeting.
"We will not turn this meeting into a discussion on Myanmar and so far there is no plan to insert the issue at the chairman statement, but it will be up to the foreign ministers meeting," she said.
Asian and European foreign ministers are expected to arrive Wednesday for the opening ceremony of the conference slated to be opened by Megawati.