Doubts On Myanmars Asean Entry

Myanmars admission into south-east Asias most powerful political and economic grouping is likely to be delayed because internal and external pressures have combined to thwart a consensus, officials said yesterday. Leaders of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) had indicated they had reached an understanding to admit Myanmar, along with Cambodia and Laos, at the groups 30th anniversary meeting in Kuala Lumpur in July.

Senior officials in Asean countries have repeatedly made it clear that objections by the US and EU over Myanmars human rights record would have no influence on when Yangoon was inducted. But only two days before a key meeting in Kuala Lumpur which had been due to prepare for the three countries entry, Aseans seven member nations have been unable to reach a consensus, officials in several Asean countries said.

If the three do not gain membership at the Asean ministerial meeting on July 24-25, the next opportunity for entry would be an informal summit scheduled for December this year.

Reflecting the recent shift within the organisation, Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysias acting prime minister, on Wednesday retreated from a statement made in April by Mahathir Mohamad, the Prime Minister, that the three countries should enter the organisation in July. Our decision has been rather consistent, that their admission should at the latest be by the (December) summit, he declared.

Expansion of Aseans membership to 10 is seen as an historic event in the region, particularly for the economic opportunities that Myanmars admission would bring. But on the political front, the benefits of expansion are less clear; while 10 members would amplify the groups voice on the world stage, its new diversity could work to frustrate a unified stance on some issues.

Observers said that while Malaysia and Indonesia had pushed for Myanmars early admission, others had focused more on the diplomatic cost of a move which would annoy the US and EU. The US recently asked Asean to delay Myanmars entry because of its human rights record and the suppression of a democracy movement. EU diplomats have said entry could cloud thegrowing Asean-EU contacts on trade and security matters. In Cambodia, a feud between the leaders of the countrys coalition government has raised doubts about whether Phnom Penh could pass the necessary legislation in time for the July ministerial meeting and whether the country was stable enough to honour its Asean commitments. The treatment of Moslems in Myanmar may have also provided pause for thought. An influential Moslem group, the Moslem Youth Movement of Malaysia, has protested to Malaysias foreign ministry over the destruction of mosques in Myanmar. Copyright Financial Times Limited 1997. All Rights Reserved.