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Conflicting signals remain over Bur



Subject: Conflicting signals remain over Burma's admission 

Saturday  May 31  1997

Conflicting signals remain over Burma's admission 

IAN STEWART and Agencies in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok 
Burma said yesterday it was confident Asean foreign ministers meeting in Kuala 
Lumpur today would decide when to admit the country as a new member without 
being swayed by outside opinion.

But senior members of the seven-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations 
group continued to send conflicting signals over the country's admission 
time-frame.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon said there was no consensus on the 
timing of Rangoon's entry. And the influential head of the Philippines Senate 
foreign relations committee, Blas Ople, said Burma should not be allowed to 
join until its rulers ended their "brutal repression".

But Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said it was his country's position 
that July "will be an acceptable date" for Burma, Cambodia and Laos to join 
Asean.

Thai Foreign Minister Prachuab Chaiyasan said the countries' internal politics 
"are an important factor to consider".

Mr Alatas said, however, that internal troubles in Cambodia - where the 
political crisis has virtually shut down the Government and paralysed 
Parliament - were no obstacle to its entry.

He said the three would join either in July, when Asean foreign ministers hold 
their annual meeting, or in December when their heads of government hold a 
summit. The admission date would be decided by consensus, he said.

Malaysia, this year's chairman, has been pressing for the induction to take 
place in July.

The United States and the European Union have openly pressured Asean to delay 
Burma's membership because of its human rights record.

An influential Malaysian Muslim group this week urged that Burma's admission 
be deferred, and activists representing 22 Malaysian non-governmental 
organisations protested outside the Foreign Ministry in Kuala Lumpur 
yesterday, urging abandonment of Asean's "failed" policy of constructive 
engagement with the Rangoon junta.

The military junta blocked roads and detained more than 300 opposition party 
supporters to prevent a congress being held this week by Daw Aung San Suu 
Kyi's National League for Democracy. Clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in 
March have also raised concern.

"It's very hard to read," one Western diplomat said. "My guess is that it will 
still happen in July."

However, Cambodia's Parliament has not been able to ratify key documents 
required for membership, and the diplomat said: "Cambodia could be the 
smokescreen they hide behind if the decision is to delay. The ratification 
issue isn't crucial [but] this is the land of fudge."

South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd.