Myanmar relations threaten ASEAN ties with Europe

Myanmar relations threaten ASEAN ties with Europe

BRUSSELS (AFP): The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)'s moves towards taking in Myanmar as a full member could jeopardize the European Union's plans to deepen its relationship with the grouping, the EU official leading the drive for closer ties has warned.

Manuel Marin, vice-president of the European Commission, is due in Jakarta next week as part of the EU's delegation to the annual meeting between ASEAN and its partners and to present Brussels' new strategy for strengthening links.

The commission is confident EU governments, increasingly concerned that European companies are losing out to US rivals in the world's most dynamic region, will back its plan.

But Marin made no secret of the fact that a decision by ASEAN to open its doors to Myanmar, seen as increasingly likely following the decision to grant Yangon official observer status, would throw a spanner in the works.

"ASEAN is free to take in whomever it wants," the Spanish commissioner emphasized. "But it is clear for us that Myanmar would be a problem. Unless there is a profound change in the regime it will inevitably create considerable difficulties."

Myanmar's pariah status in Europe has been aggravated by the death last month in custody of Leo Nichols, an honorary consul for four European countries.

The 15 EU governments, who have already reduced diplomatic contact with Yangon to a minimal level, on Monday demanded a full explanation of the circumstances of Nichols' death and asked officials to examine possible counter-measures.

Britain, France and Germany have so far successfully resisted calls for economic sanctions but that could soon change as there are signs that Myanmar is on course to become the South Africa of the 1990's.

In the last week, two major European brewers -- Heineken and Carlsberg -- have pulled out of Myanmar, largely in response to public pressure. The commission is also due to rule in September whether to suspend preferential trading conditions currently accorded to Myanmar.

In marked contrast, ASEAN nations have adopted a stance of "constructive engagement," with Myanmar -- a strategy that has yet to yield any concrete results.

The differences of approach reflect long-standing tensions over human rights issues which has been one of the dominant themes of EU-ASEAN relations.

A previous commission initiative to negotiate a broad region- to-region trade and cooperation accord was vetoed by Portugal in 1992 in protest at Indonesia's occupation of its former colony East Timor.

The same issue dominated the build-up to this year's landmark Asia-Europe Meeting in Bangkok, but Portugal has now bowed to pressure from its partners not to let this bilateral problem interfere with the broader building of bridges between the two continents.

The way the East Timor problem has been removed from the picture reflects an ongoing convergence of EU and ASEAN attitudes to the relationship that has been underway since 1994, Marin said.

It was that year that the EU's policy on Asia "entered the realms of reality," he said, referring to a belated recognition that lecturing Asia on democracy and human rights was neither likely to win friends nor be effective in terms of promoting political reform in the region.

On the Asian side, Marin pointed to a growing recognition among ASEAN states that "Asian" and "universal" values, such as human rights and political pluralism, are not mutually exclusive as proof that it was not only Europe that had done the accommodating.