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.