ASEAN, EU Officials Trying to Avoid

[Ohmarkhin@xxxxxxx]

Subject: ASEAN, EU Officials Trying to Avoid Collision Course

 .c The Associated Press 

SINGAPORE, Feb. 12 (Kyodo) -- By: Hideharu Torii Senior officials from the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU)
were holding preparatory talks Wednesday for their ministerial meetings from
Thursday, trying to steer clear of a collision course on human rights issues.


The seven-member ASEAN wants a joint declaration to be adopted Friday, the
final day of the two-day meeting of ASEAN-EU foreign ministers, not to
mention ''extraneous issues'' in relations between ASEAN and the EU such as
the question of East Timor and Myanmar, diplomatic sources said. 

The 15-member EU agreed that a joint declaration would not make an ''explicit
reference'' to the issue of East Timor, the former Portuguese colony, but
still demands direct mention of the situation in the military-controlled
Myanmar, the sources said. 

Indonesia has threatened to walk out of a meeting of foreign ministers from
ASEAN and Europe this week if Portugal brings up the issue of East Timor,
according to Singapore Foreign Ministry officials. 

Indonesia invaded East Timor after Portugal withdrew in 1975 and annexed it
as its 27th province the following year. The United Nations, which regards
Portugal as the territory's administrative power, has never recognized
Indonesian rule over East Timor. Portugal has called for self-determination
of the territory. 

In an informal summit meeting in Jakarta in November, ASEAN leaders agreed to
support the Indonesian position on East Timor. 

However, the EU repeated calls for Indonesia to improve its human rights
record in East Timor at a meeting in Dublin in December. 

As for Myanmar, the EU is the most vocal critic of Myanmar's alleged human
rights abuses with a policy of isolation toward the junta and urges the
military government to commence dialogue with pro-democracy leader Aung San
Suu Kyi. 

In October, the EU imposed limits on contacts with Myanmar officials by
refusing entry visas to senior members of the junta and their families. 

ASEAN has been pursuing what it calls a policy of ''constructive engagement''
with Myanmar's junta, known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC), which came to power following a military coup in 1988. Myanmar
became an observer of ASEAN last year. 

ASEAN agreed in November that Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos be admitted as full
members simultaneously, and the three countries are widely expected to be
accepted as full ASEAN members this year. 

At the 12th ASEAN-EU ministerial meeting, their foreign ministers will set
future direction for dialogue between the two regional groups and exchange
views on international and regional political, security and economic issues. 

Vietnam, which became an ASEAN member in 1995, will take part in the meeting
for the first time. 

ASEAN also includes Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore
and Thailand. 

The two-day talks will be followed by the first foreign ministers' meeting of
the broader Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) on Saturday since their leaders met in
the inaugural ASEM summit meeting in Bangkok in March last year. 

The foreign ministers' meeting of the ASEM, which groups the EU and ASEAN
plus Japan, China and South Korea, will prepare for the second ASEM summit
meeting slated for 1998 in London.