ASEAN says no EU meeting without My

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Subject: ASEAN says no EU meeting without Myanmar 

ASEAN says no EU meeting without Myanmar
12:02 a.m. Mar 17, 1999 Eastern
JAKARTA, March 17 (Reuters) - The Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN) said on Wednesday that a proposed meeting with the European Union
(EU) would not proceed unless Myanmar is allowed to participate.

``ASEAN is not accepting in a situation where not all foreign ministers can
participate in the ASEAN-EU meeting,'' ASEAN secretary-general Rodolfo
Severino told Reuters.

``The EU has the position of not issuing visas to Myanmar foreign
officials,'' he added.

The EU bars high-level contacts with Myanmar, which joined ASEAN in 1997,
because of its human rights record.

On Tuesday, Malaysia said all nine ASEAN countries had agreed not to attend
the March 30 meeting if Myanmar was not allowed to participate.

Severino said the meeting would proceed if it were open to Myanmar.

``If ASEAN is complete, the meeting can proceed,'' he said.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.


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