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" EU may object BUrma's inclusion t



Reply-To: south@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (SAFHR KATHMANDU)
Subject: " EU may object BUrma's inclusion to ASEAN"

"EU may object Burma's inclusion to ASEAN"
The Rising Nepal, Kathmandu, 26 July 1997.

Kuala Lumpur, July 25 (AFP)- European Union(EU) members are expected to
object to Burma's iclusion in a cooperation pact with the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) despite the county's entry into ASEAN, as
official said Friday.

ASEAN secretay-general Ajit Singh told a news conference, that Burma's
admission into the group this week would "in general" not affect ties with
the EU, but "the EU has made known that they will not be ready as yet to
see Myanmar acceding" to the pact.  

"So this is the first shot from the EU side and we will have to consider
this now that Myanmar is a member". We will need to address this in the
near future," he siad, using Burma's official name.  

Singh said the nine-member ASEAN will ask the 15 EU members to accede to
the 1975 cooperation agreement between the two bodies. Apart from the
Burma question, some EU members are expected to object to the request also
because of East Timor, whose annexation by Indonesia in 1975 has not been
recognised by the United Nations. "there are some technicalities we need
to look at because the cooperation with the EU is governed by a
cooperation between the ASEAN member countries and the EU," SIngh said.

"In other words, they have to accede to the cooperation agreement
individually," Singh siad.

Britain fired the first salvo thi sweek over Burma when its high
commissioner(ambassador) to Malaysia snubbed the official ASEAN ceremony
admitting Burma into the grouping on Wendnesday.  

ASEAN and the EU forged a cooperation agreement in 1975 on a group-to-group
basis. Due to objection from Portugal, the former colonial ruler of East
Timor, ASEAN and the EU have been unable to conclude a new agreement
expanding cooperation. 

Meanwhile Xinhua in Rangoon add: teh Myanmar Mines Authorities have
announced the the Mid-Year Gems Emporium would be held here in October on
a competitive bidding basis. 

Jade, gems and jewellery of local merchants will also be put on sale at the
emporium in additional to those of the state-run Myanmar Gems Enterprise.
local newspaper, the New Light of Myanmar reported today. The
state-sponsored Myanmar gems emporiums have been held once a year since
1964 additional mid-year ones introduced in the past five years.