Albright warns of Myanmar "social b

[kyawkyaw@xxxxxxx]

FOCUS-Albright warns of Myanmar ``social breakdown'' 
02:06 a.m. Jul 27, 1998 Eastern 

By Stephen Powell 

MANILA, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
warned an Asian security meeting on Monday that military-led Myanmar faced a
growing danger of social explosion. 

With the foreign minister of Myanmar, commonly called Burma, sitting in the
same conference hall, Albright said: ``With each passing day the likelihood
of a social breakdown -- or explosion -- that would undermine regional
stability grows higher; the likelihood that a future government will be able
to tackle Burma's problems becomes smaller. 

``This is a moment of truth and of urgency for Burma and for all of us
concerned about its fate.'' 

Myanmar's military regime suppressed a pro-democracy movement with heavy
loss of life in 1988 and has held on to power ever since. 

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has won a Nobel Peace prize for her
continuing efforts to restore democracy, is being harassed by the military
as she attempts to travel inside the country to meet opposition colleagues. 

Albright said the United States supported the call made by Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy (NLD) last month to convene the parliament the
Burmese people elected in 1990. 

The NLD won these elections but the military ignored the result. 

Addressing the same security conference, the European Union said on Monday
it was very concerned about the situation in the country and ``very much
hopes that the Burmese authorities will enter into a meaningful dialogue
with the opposition, release all political prisoners and hold democratic
elections.'' 

Twenty-one countries including the United States, China, Russia and Japan
met in Manila for the conference on Asian security issues, where the
dominant issue is nuclear testing by India and Pakistan in May. 

In a weekend statement, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
said the group ``deplored the series of nuclear tests conducted recently in
South Asia that exacerbated tension in the region and raised the spectre of
a nuclear arms race.'' 

ASEAN did not refer by name to India or Pakistan and conference sources said
Western states were pressing for a tougher statement on nuclear
proliferation from Monday's ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting, which brings
together ASEAN and its dialogue partners. 

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told a news conference on
Monday that there was very deep concern at the conference about the whole
issue of nuclear testing. 

``Only one country at the ARF is putting up any defence of India -- and that
is India,'' he said. 

Pakistan was not invited to the meeting. 

The United States and the European Union, among others, on Monday reiterated
demands that India and Pakistan adhere to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. 

The EU said world stability had been seriously endangered by the decision of
India and Pakistan to carry out nuclear tests. 

Another big theme overshadowing the Manila meeting is the change of
government in Japan. Japanese officials said prime minister-designate Keizo
Obuchi made a point of visiting Manila on Sunday, despite opposition within
his party, because he wanted to respond to ASEAN's call for Japan to move on
its economy. 

To Albright he gave an assurance that he would try to move fast to put Japan
back on a growth path. In a statement issued at the weekend, the nine
Southeast Asian countries in ASEAN called on Japan ``to expedite the
implementation of its economic measures in support of the economic recovery
of ASEAN countries.'' 

Japanese officials made it clear that they were irked by ASEAN's reference
to their country's economic problems in their weekend communique. 

``It is not like criticising Iraq for invading Kuwait,'' said one Japanese
official privately. He meant that Japan's economic problems did not amount
to a misdemeanour for which it should be publicly chastised. 

Japanese officials feel that Japan-bashing is a growing trend. ``China
criticises Japan's economic management,'' said the same official with strong
irony in his voice. ``It is a strange world.'' 

The delegations, most represented by foreign ministers, met in a closed
session of the ARF, a group established in 1993 as an informal multilateral
dialogue on security in the Asia Pacific region. 

Participants in the 21-member forum include all nine members of ASEAN --
Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam -- plus ASEAN observers Cambodia and Papua New Guinea.
The other 10 members are ASEAN's dialogue partners, Australia, Canada,
China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea
and the United States.