News from India (r)

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AUSTRALIA TO PRESS MYANMAR FOR POLITICAL REFORMS
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BY V. JAYANTH

SINGAPORE, AUG.4.

Australia  will depute a senior  official from the Ministry
of   Foreign  Affairs  and  Trade  to  Myanmar  shortly  to
encourage   the  process  of   constitutional  reforms  and
democratisation in that country.

The Foreign Minister,  Mr.  Alexander Downer,  told a press
conference  here  today.  "The  process  of  constitutional
reforms  in Myanmar is  painfully slow and  I have conveyed
this  to its Foreign Minister,  Mr.   Ohn Gyaw,  whom I met
recently in Malaysia".

He  said  Australia  would  like to  see  the  reforms move
forward  quickly and early resumption of a dialogue between
the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and the
opposition National League for Democracy. "Besides the lack
of progress,  we are deeply concerned about the breaches on
human  rights and the  senior official should  also meet up
with   Ms.  Aung  San  Suu   Kyi",  Mr.  Downer  explained.

Asked  if he endorsed an  emerging solution in Cambodia for
the  replacement of the First  Prime Minister,  Mr.  Downer
said,   "I am waiting to hear from the ASEAN initiative and
reaffirmed  that all parties must  abide by the Paris peace
accord. If a new Co- Premier is to be elected, then the vote
in  the National  Assembly must  be free  and fair  and all
eligible members must be allowed to attend and vote without
any coercion".

Mr.  Downer, who had just completed a tour of Southeast and
Southeast and South Asia, said he hoped the
"constitutional process" would also move ahead in Sri Lanka
so   that   the   devolution   package   could   find  both
constitutional and democratic support.

He  said there  was at  the moment  no inclination  for any
third  party mediation or intervention,  which could not be
thought  of unless all parties to the problem wanted it and
invited a third party.

He  brushed aside  the "Pauline Hanson  controversy" or the
race debate Down Under and said, "No country deserves to be
judged by some outrageous comments by maverick politicians.
We  are a truly multi-cultural  society welding together 18
million people from 130 different countries".

Later,   addressing the  Institute of  Policy Studies,  Mr.
Downer  dealt at some length on the "regional architecture"
political,   economic and  security-in which  Australia was
moving with the Asia Pacific.

"The  regional security environment is now more complex and
uncertain.   Issues such  as the  Korean peninsula  and the
competing  claims and interests in  South China Sea are all
manageable,   but they nevertheless pose challenges for the
region.  I think there is widespread support for continuing
U.S. strategic engagement in the Asia Pacific. Its presence
strengthens   regional   countries'  confidence   in  their
security-in  effect  helping  to  minimise  tensions",   he
explained.

He  said  his country  was part  of the  Five-Power Defence
Arrangement  in  the region,   Pursued a  vigorous alliance
with  the U.S.,  signed a  security pact with Indonesia and
had  security dialogues with Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Last
week,   it was decided to  extend this dialogue with China,
the   Philippines   and  Thailand   to  represent   a  real
"strengthening of security cooperation".

On  the  trade  front,  Mr.  Downer  said  Australia  would
coutinue to press for more liberalisation and commitment to
the Bogor declaration of APEC. On its part, the country had
already  reduced  tariff levels  to  achieve free  and open
trade  and  investment  according  to  the  APEC  schedule.

Mr.   Downer had  an hour-long  meeting with  the Singapore
Prime  Minister,  Mr.  Goh Chok Tong,  reviewing bilateral,
regional  and international developments.  The situation in
Cambodia also figured in the discussions.

                            THE HINDU AUGUST 5, 1997

   NEWS AND INFORMATION BUREAU (ALL BURMA STUDENTS LEAGUE)

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