Rice may skip key ASEAN talks amid Myanmar concerns
Rice may skip key ASEAN talks amid Myanmar concerns
Agence France-Presse, Washington
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice may skip a key ASEAN meeting next month amid concerns in Washington the region is not pushing enough for democratic reforms in military-ruled Myanmar, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday.
If she fails to make it for the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in the Laotian capital Vientiane in late July, it would be the first time ever that a U.S. Secretary of State does not participate in the annual talks.
The meeting includes a post-ministerial dialogue between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its key trading partners, notably the United States, European Union, China, Japan and Russia, as well as an ASEAN Regional Forum, the only official security meeting in the Asia-Pacific region.
A source said, without citing specific reasons, that Rice -- currently in Brussels after a Middle East tour -- was expected to send her deputy Robert Zoellick, the former U.S. Trade Representative and an old ASEAN hand, to the ASEAN meetings.
Asked to comment, a State Department official said: "We have no announcement on the Secretary's travel and no confirmation on travel by the Deputy Secretary."
Even if Zoellick attends, it could be seen as a slight by ASEAN leaders who may perceive it as downgrading of U.S. participation in the region's most important diplomatic event.
"If in fact he is tapped to attend, we shouldn't be so quick to interpret such a decision as the lack of support for Southeast Asia, given Ambassador Zoellick's former cabinet status and broad and deep knowledge of Southeast Asia," said Karen Brooks, a leading architect of U.S. policy toward Asia during both the Bush and Clinton administrations.
"However, I suspect our friends in the region won't share that perspective," she said, indicating that there could be unintended consequences of such a decision, including a belief that the U.S. was ignoring the region, where it has vast investment, trade and security interests.
"Such a decision would not be intended as a signal that 'We don't care.' But, be that as it may, that's the way it is going to be interpreted," Brooks said.
Earlier, both the United States and the European Union indicated that they might boycott ASEAN meetings if Myanmar is allowed to chair the grouping.
Some ASEAN members, as well as the grouping's western partners are opposed to the outcast regime taking on such a role, with Myanmar scheduled to take over the ASEAN helm from Malaysia at the end of 2006.
If Myanmar does take the chairmanship, it would hold the ASEAN ministerial meeting in summer 2007.
Also on Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution renewing a one-year ban on all imports from Myanmar, as part of sanctions for repression of democratic opposition and human rights concerns.
The House adopted it by a 423-2 vote, officials said.
An identical resolution has been introduced in the Senate with 40 co-sponsors and should be dealt with soon, they added.
It would renew a complete ban on all imports from Myanmar until President George W. Bush determines and certifies to Congress that the Southeast Asian state has made substantial and measurable progress on a number of democracy and human rights issues.