Burma wrecks EU talks

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  Burma wrecks EU talks
  By PETER ALFORD in Bangkok
The Australian

  24 February 1999

  THE Burma issue is now close to wrecking a formal dialogue between
  foreign ministers from the Association of South-East Asian Nations and
  the European Union. 

  AFP reported that at a meeting yesterday of EU foreign ministers in
  Luxembourg, Britain, Denmark, Ireland, The Netherlands, Portugal and
  Sweden opposed any relaxation of sanctions on Burma to allow the
  ASEAN-EU meeting, due to take place in Berlin on March 30, to go
  ahead. 

  The sanctions include a visa ban that prevents senior figures in Burma's
  military regime from entering the territory of any EU country. 

  Germany's Deputy Foreign Minister Hans-Friedrich von Ploetz has
  admitted the planned ASEAN-EU ministerial meeting is in danger of
  cancellation. 

  German diplomats have been seeking to win a commitment from Burma
  to begin a human rights dialogue with Europe as a gesture that could
  be used to justify easing the sanctions. 

  Germany, the EU president, has been unable to sway Britain, Sweden,
  The Netherlands and several other countries from black-balling Burma. 

  ASEAN insists the meeting cannot go ahead unless all its member
  nations are admitted. 

  Since Burma was admitted to the group in mid-1997, all attempts to
  organise a ministerial meeting have foundered. 

  "The one stumbling block is the human rights situation in (Burma)," Dr
  von Ploetz said. 

  Thailand's Foreign Minister, Surin Pitsuwan, arrived in Europe yesterday
  for talks in a final attempt to break the deadlock.