PMC fails to agree on crucial questions

Fri, 26 Jul 1996, 00:00 WIB | Source: JP

JAKARTA (JP): Foreign ministers of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their dialog partners ended
their three days of talks yesterday, remaining as far apart as
they began on many major issues.

While ministers claimed the meetings were "cordial and
amiable", questions on a nuclear free zone, social issues in
trade, Myanmar and human rights remained unresolved.

The issue which dominated and overshadowed any real success of
the meetings was Myanmar.

The United States, Australia, Canada and representatives from
the European Union expressed a great deal of concern at the
meetings toward Yangon's poor human rights record.

ASEAN, however, has refrained from joining the chorus of
disapproval, maintaining that it is an internal affair of Yangon.

ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, held their annual
Regional Forum (the ARF) meeting here on Tuesday to discuss
regional political and security issues.

The one-day forum brings together ASEAN observers -- Cambodia,
Laos, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea -- along with 10 dialog
partners; Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, South Korea,
New Zealand, Russia, the United States and the European Union.

The ARF meeting was then followed by a two-day Post
Ministerial Conference (PMC) between ASEAN and its dialog
partners.

U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher said the meetings
were a good chance to raise concerns with the Myanmarese foreign
minister directly.

ASEAN's reluctance to discuss the issue was evident as it
omitted discussions on Myanmar from the formal agenda of the ARF.

"Frankly we were surprised to arrive here and find that Burma
(Myanmar) was not on the agenda for the formal session of the
ARF," Christopher said.

While there was strong opinions expressed during the ARF, the
ASEAN-led forum did not include the question of human rights or
Myanmar in its final Chairman's Statement.

Yesterday Christopher noted that the U.S. was not alone in
focusing concerns on Myanmar. "I'm glad that we were joined in
the meeting here by Australia, New Zealand, the E.U. and Canada,
so, I don't feel as lonely as I might be," he remarked.

Proposals from Canada to set up a contact group to draw out a
dialog with Yangon also received a less then enthusiastic
reception from ASEAN officials.

At the joint press conference yesterday Canadian foreign
minister Lloyd Axworthy remained upbeat: "A proposal's a
proposal. We are looking for any kind of vehicle that will enable
us to maintain that sort of an incremental development," he said.

European Union Vice-President Manuel Marin, who has been a
vocal critic of Yangon, said yesterday that he was pleased that
at least the situation was being addressed.

The meeting's chairman, Indonesia's foreign minister Ali
Alatas, remained positive, saying "the discussions were able to
shed greater light on both sides of each other's perceptions and
positions and in that sense I think it was positive and
productive."

Another issue which remained unresolved were calls to support
the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty. During the
meetings ASEAN failed to secure the United States' guaranteed
commitment to accede to its protocol.

While Russia and the United States expressed general support
for the nuclear weapons free zone established by ASEAN leaders in
December, ministers stated that the ultimate factor would be the
current review of the protocol to address the various objections.

Apart from a statement backing a quick end to negotiations on
the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), ministers made little
headway in coming to a common position which would expedite the
negotiations. India, who has tied approving the CTBT to
disarmament conditions, remain unmoved despite the talks here.

The meetings here yesterday also seemed only to harden battle
lines on the West's insistence on including social issues such as
labor rights in the upcoming World Trade Organization (WTO)
meeting in Singapore in December.

ASEAN maintains that such issues should not be raised at
forums such as the WTO.

While divisions were many, ministers yesterday expressed their
overall satisfaction with the meetings. (pwn/rid/mds)