Myanmar ends silence on ASEAN leadership concern
Myanmar ends silence on ASEAN leadership concern
Brian Williams, Reuters/Hanoi
Myanmar broke a silence on Thursday about concern that its human rights record would tarnish its leadership of ASEAN next year, forecasting a solution would be found in time to satisfy all.
On a visit to Vietnam, Prime Minister Soe Win gave no assurances about the release of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and other human rights reforms.
But he sent out an optimistic signal that an issue that has the potential to lead to a boycott of next year's ASEAN summit by the United States and the European Union (EU) could be overcome.
"It will be all OK," Soe Win said in answer to a question about growing concerns in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines about damage to the group's international reputation from Myanmar's leadership of the block from mid-2006 under the group's system of an alphabetically rotating chairmanship.
Europe and the United States have shunned the former Burma and slapped sanctions on Yangon since the military government's latest detention of Nobel laureate Suu Kyi in May 2003.
ASEAN has preferred a more conciliatory stance of "constructive engagement" to foster democratic reform.
Vietnam's foreign ministry spokesman Le Dung said Hanoi's attitude on the Myanmar leadership issue would be decided on ASEAN's principles of "consensus and non-interference in each other's internal affairs."
"Vietnam always follows and suppports efforts of national reconciliation by the Myanmar people," he added after Soe Win met Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.
Despite the junta's assurances that it is locked into a seven- step "road map to democracy", there have been no concrete signs of change and Suu Kyi and her deputy Tin Oo remain under house arrest.
On Wednesday, the Philippines said there could be opposition to Myanmar's chairmanship at a meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers next week if it does not show its commitment to pushing ahead with democratic reforms.
Diplomats said they believed Soe Win's visits this week to Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia would include taking the temperature on its chairmanship ahead of the foreign ministers meeting.
The ASEAN foreign ministers will gather on Mactan island in the central Philippines on Sunday to prepare for the 38th ministerial meeting in Laos in July and a December summit in Malaysia.
"The key issue is for Myanmar to follow the (democracy) road map," Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo told reporters.
Romulo said Myanmar's chairmanship would be discussed next week and that Myanmar's junta must make a firm commitment to stick to the road map for democracy.
Yangon has promised to bring the country back to democracy through a series of reforms, such as freeing political dissidents and drafting a new constitution.
The seven-stage road map was laid out in 2003 by former prime minister Khin Nyunt, who was purged last October.
ASEAN drew Myanmar out from isolation in 1997, taking a more conciliatory approach of "constructive engagement" with Yangon's reclusive generals.
The Philippine Senate is set to approve a resolution urging the government to block Myanmar's chairmanship if Suu Kyi is not released.
ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.