LEAD: Asian, European ministers may urge release of Suu Kyi

0 Comments | Asian Political News, July 28, 2003

BALI, Indonesia, July 23 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH FRESH INFO)

Foreign ministers from 10 Asian and 15 European countries may urge the release of detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi when they meet Thursday in Bali, representatives from both sides said Wednesday.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Blas Ople told reporters after meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda that ''a strong statement on Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi'' is expected at the conclusion of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

The meeting, the fifth among foreign ministers of the two sides, will be officially opened by President Megawati Sukarnoputri in Bali's Nusa Dua beach resort area Thursday morning.

''We want the phrase 'the ministers urge an immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi' to be put in the chairman's statement issued at the end of the meeting,'' an Italian diplomat, who asked not to be named, told Kyodo News.

At a press conference, European Union (EU) Commissioner Chris Patten even said the Asian and European foreign ministers are expected to ''deplore the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi'' and expressed hope that they ''will agree on social condemnation'' of Myanmar.

Separately, Arizal Effendi, director general for American and European affairs at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said, however, that the chairman's statement on Myanmar will be two-pronged.

''We will remind Myanmar that Aung San Suu Kyi is under temporary detention and we will call upon Myanmar to fulfill their own statement to release Aung San Suu Kyi immediately,'' Effendi said.

''I think what is so tragic is that the regime has done so much damage to the well-being of the people of Myanmar,'' Patten said.

Patten also called on Myanmar to return to the negotiating table with Suu Kyi and U.N. Special Envoy on Myanmar Razali Ismail.

The issue of Suu Kyi's detention overshadowed a meeting of ASEM senior officials meeting that began Tuesday to prepare for the ministerial talks, with differences of approaches surfacing.

European countries want to link the issue of Suu Kyi's detention to plans to enlarge ASEM's membership next year by admitting Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

During a press conference after meeting Ople, Wirajuda acknowledged ''differences on Myanmar between European and Asian sides,'' but played them down, saying, ''There is still a great possibility for us to find a consensus statement.''

Suu Kyi's detention has led some Western governments to boost their sanctions against the Myanmar junta.

In Asia, meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned over the weekend that by detaining Suu Kyi, Myanmar's generals risk expulsion from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as its actions undermine the 10-member regional group's credibility.

But Ople said expelling Myanmar from ASEAN would be ''too drastic'' a decision.

Meanwhile, Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai told reporters expelling Myanmar would not be a wise decision.

''I don't think you can achieve peace in the region or democracy in Myanmar by expelling anyone from ASEAN,'' he said, adding he will meet his Myanmar counterpart on July 31 in Bangkok to discuss practical steps for a national reconciliation in Myanmar.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate and some members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) have been detained since May 30 following what the junta said were violent clashes between NLD supporters and pro-junta demonstrators in northern Myanmar.

Myanmar, which is not an ASEM member, was invited to attend an informal dinner of ASEM ministers on Wednesday evening, but it declined, citing ''domestic engagements.''

A special envoy of the Myanmar government, however, will visit Indonesia on July 28 to explain its policies on Suu Kyi.

ASEM consists of 10 Asian countries -- Brunei, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam -- and 15 EU member countries plus the European Commission, the executive branch of the EU.

The EU members are Austria, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.