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Asean-EU meet to discuss on Myanmar



Subject: Asean-EU meet to discuss on Myanmar (14/2/97)

Asean-EU meet to discuss Myanmar
The Hindu (New Delhi)
14/2/97
 
>From V. Jayanth
 
SINGAPORE, Feb. 13.
Foreign Ministers of Southeast Asia (Asean) and the European Union (EU) 
today began two days of intensive consultations on strengthening economic 
co-operation and deepening Political dialogue, including sensitive issues 
like human rights.
 
After an informal session last night, the Ministers agreed that even 
contentious issues such as Myanmar and human rights could be discussed. 
These must be on the basis of "equality and mutual respect for each 
other's sovereignty."
 
Members of the EU drove home the point that when differences surfaced, 
"both sides should be mindful that the aim of the dialogue is to enhance 
mutual understanding and foster greater co-operation and friendship."
 
Included in the agenda were political and security issues such as the 
expansion of Asean to include Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, as also the 
European Union, the developments in Bosnia and the West Asia peace process.
 
Setting the tone for the informal group-to-group discussions that 
followed, Mr. Hans van Mierlo, Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister of the 
Netherlands (which holds the EU presidency), said Asean-EU relations had 
matured to a point when even differences could be discussed "openly and 
in the spirit of searching for a compromise."
 
He said there were bound to be issues on which the two sides disagreed, 
but those very issues could still be discussed to rind broad agreement. 
"We must look at the past, be mindful of the present and continue to 
focus on the future," Mr. Hans Mierlo noted.
 
Between the last dialogue session in Germany in 1994 and this meeting, he 
said Vietnam had joined Asean and Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the 
EU, Further enlargement was also on the cards. In his inaugural address 
to the meeting, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister, Brig. Gen. Lee Hsien 
Loong, said Asean was already the fourth largest trading entity in the 
world, with 7 per cent of world trade. By the turn of the century, it 
would have a combined population of 500 millions and a GDP of over $500 
billions. The potential for trade was, therefore, considerable.
 
He noted that sentiments still linger in the West that the continuing 
economic rise and dynamism of Asia was a threat to the West's own 
economic well-being. Governments were, therefore, under pressure from 
competitive imports and union leaders feared that jobs would be lost to Asia.
 
"These adjustment pains are real, not imaginary. Governments must act to 
lessen them and make sure the benefits of international trade reach all 
segments of their societies. But Government cannot deny or buck the 
economic forces which cause the pressures. without paying a very high 
price in terms of misallocated resources, lost growth opportunities and 
ultimately diminished international influence," Brig. Gen. Lee said.
 
Asean he said, was an important and fast-growing market for the EU, which 
enjoyed a favourable balance of trade with Asean. But this trade was 
still small. Ell's combined GDP was larger than both the U.S. and japan, 
and therefore, it had considerable room to expand trade.
 
Turning to the cultural and political differences, the Deputy Premier 
said: "This diversity of history and culture means that often Asean and 
the EU countries will have different perceptions of the role, of the 
individual and the family, the community and the State. What works in 
Europe will not always work in the Asian context, and vice versus. As 
Asian countries progress, they will adapt, but will not copy wholesale, 
ideas and institutions from Western societies, to suit their needs."
 
Brig. Gen. Lee said disagreement, even among friends, were inevitable. 
"The constructive way forward is for both sides to accept these 
differences and focus on areas of co-operation, not to fixate on 
individual contentious issues and allow them to undermine the broader 
relationship," he added.
 
The Deputy Prime Minister said that Asean-EU dialogue was now celebrating 
its 20th anniversary and the relationship had "endured and matured." Both 
sides recognised its relevance and importance and it was time to 
consolidate and build on the inherent strengths to make a model for 
inter-regional co-operation.
 
EU sources told me that human rights and "fundamental freedoms" were very 
much on the agenda and the joint declaration would seek to reiterate the 
commitment of both sides to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and 
the Vienna declaration and programme of Action of 1993. "There may not be 
any specific mention of countries or violations, but in our frank 
discussions, we will certainly tell our Asean friends, our perceptions on 
both Myanmar and East Timor. Those two issues cannot and should not cloud 
our relationship and cannot also be swept under the carpet," they explained.
 
In a tactical move, Singapore, as host and co-Chair for the dialogue, 
introduced a two-hour free-wheeling discussion on Myanmar at an informal, 
working lunch this afternoon.
 
At the end of it, the Foreign Minister, Prof. S. Jayakumar, told 
reporters, "It was the most substantive discussion we have had on Myanmar 
for a long time. Almost every Minister spoke on the issue and both sides 
expressed their concerns on Myanmar."
 
According to EU sources, the Foreign Ministers made it clear that 
constructive engagement should show tangible results in the form of a 
dialogue between the military junta and the pro-democracy movement.