Indonesian Head (Suharto) ends Burm

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Subject: Indonesian Head (Suharto) ends Burma visit.

	
		Indonesian Head Ends Burma Visit 
		********************************

                          Sunday, February 23, 1997 2:47 am EST 

                          RANGOON, Burma (AP) -- Indonesian President 
Suharto, one of the staunchest backers
                          of Burma's military regime, departed Rangoon on 
Sunday after a three-day visit aimed at
                          strengthening economic ties. 

                          He was the sixth Southeast Asian head of state 
to visit Burma, a country shunned by many
                          Western governments, since 1994. 

                          During the visit, Indonesian Foreign Minister 
Ali Alatas said Burma was well on its way to
                          joining the Association of Southeast Asian 
Nations but did not give a fixed date for its entry. 

                          Burma is eagerly seeking membership in the 
dynamic, seven-nation grouping to improve
                          both its economy and standing in the 
international community where its human rights record
                          is strongly criticized. 

                          But Southeast Asian governments maintain that 
only engagement rather than isolation can
                          bring about political change in Burma. 

                          ``We will not apply as a criterion something 
that is tantamount to asking changes in the
                          political or economic system of a country,'' 
Alatas told a press conference Saturday,
                          referring to the strong Western criticism of 
Burma's repressive regime. 

                          Cementing ties between Indonesia's and Burma's 
military rulers, Suharto became the first
                          visiting foreign dignitary to meet former 
Burmese strongman Ne Win since he retired in 1988
                          amidst a pro-democracy uprising. 

                          The uprising was brutally suppressed by the 
current military leadership. The 86-year-old Ne
                          Win ruled Burma with an iron hand after staging 
a military coup in 1962. 

                          The contents of discussions between Ne Win and 
Suharto, who have known each other
                          since the early 1970s, were not revealed. 

                          Alatas said only minor technical criteria need 
to be worked out before Burma can enter the
                          ranks of ASEAN, which includes Indonesia, 
Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia,
                          Vietnam and the Philippines. Laos and Cambodia 
are also seeking entry. 

                          Alatas said Suharto's visit was aimed at 
enhancing economic cooperation and bilateral trade.
                          Critics have charged that Suharto's backing of 
the Rangoon regime is also motivated by his
                          family's business interests, which have 
recently expanded into Burma's more open economy.

                          Conglomerates owned by Suharto's children are 
increasing their involvement in Burma's
                          communications, construction, petrochemical, 
logging and animal feed industries, according
                          to activists and the companies. 

                          During the visit, two memorandums of 
understanding were signed between Indonesian
                          companies and the Burmese government. 

[The Associated Press, 23 Feb 1997].

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