No meddling in Myanmar's internal affairs: Soeharto

YANGOON (Agencies): Indonesian and Myanmar leaders agreed yesterday to foster cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and to refrain from meddling in each other's domestic affairs, Antara reported.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said the stance was agreed during a meeting between President Soeharto and Khin Nyunt, first secretary of Myanmar's State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC).

The two leaders met at the State Guest House, where Soeharto is staying during his three-day visit to Myanmar.

European countries and the United States have pressed Indonesia and other Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) members to pressure the Myanmar military regime to end repression of its pro-democracy political opponents.

U.S. pressure mounted with ASEAN planning to admit Myanmar, along with Cambodia and Laos, into the organization which also groups Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Khin Nyunt said he hoped Soeharto's visit would further promote Myanmar's push to become a full ASEAN member, Antara said.

Soeharto flew from Vientiane yesterday to start the third and final leg of an overseas tour which has taken him to Cambodia and Laos. He last visited Myanmar in 1974.

He was given a 21-gun salute as he arrived under a blazing sun. Gen. Than Shwe and other SLORC leaders welcomed Soeharto and his delegation at the airport. More substantial talks are scheduled today between Soeharto and Gen. Than Shwe.

The two leaders will also witness the signing of a series of business agreements, including one between PT Citra Lamtoro Gung, a private company controlled by Soeharto's daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, and the Union Of Myanmar Economic Holding Ltd.

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, travelling with Soeharto, was expected to discuss Myanmar's prospective entry into ASEAN, Reuters said.

Myanmar's official media warned that the United States, which has been critical of Yangon's human rights record, might try to foil Myanmar's ASEAN membership.

Myanmar opposition leader and Nobel Peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has urged ASEAN not to invest in Myanmar and to refrain from its "constructive engagement" with Yangon until the government's human rights record improved.

When contacted yesterday, neither Suu Kyi's aides nor other key leaders of her party would comment on the Soeharto visit, Reuters said.

Official figures showed Indonesian investment in Myanmar jumped to $209 million at the end of January, mainly in the construction and manufacturing fields, compared with $21 million three months earlier.