European Union frowns on Myanmar over democratization process

HELSINKI, Sept. 11 Kyodo

European Union leaders criticized Myanmar Sunday over its democratization process at their meeting with Asian counterparts on the first day of a two-day summit.

Chairman of the Asia-Europe Meeting and Prime Minister of Finland Matti Vanhanen said Sunday he was ''not satisfied'' with Myanmar's moves toward democratic and humanitarian development as Myanmanese Foreign Minister Nyan Win had outlined.

At a news conference closing the first day of the ASEM summit in Helsinki, Vanhanen said many of the 39 assembled heads of state from the ASEM member countries shared his strong feelings that no concrete progress had been made in Myanmar since the last ASEM summit.

That took place in Hanoi in 2004.

''Myanmar's foreign minister gave an outline of the situation in his country...but he did not give any clear promises for the future so I did not leave satisfied,'' Vanhanen said, adding that the European Union in particular had reiterated its ''well-known'' stance on Myanmar.

''We made a very clear demand for the release of political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi,'' Vanhanen continued, saying that ending the Nobel laureate's highly publicized and extended house arrest would be a clear indication to the world of Myanmar's first steps toward development.

Earlier in the day, European Union officials, including European Commission Asia director James Moran, met with Nyan Win. The EU officials urged Myanmar to bring about urgent democratic reform.

They reportedly called on the military government to ''enter into a true process of national reconciliation and democratization...and an early resumption of a national legislature where all legitimate representatives would be able to participate.''

Myanmar, as well as North Korea and energy security, is expected to feature in the chairman's statement at the end of the summit Monday.

ASEM groups the 25 member states of the European Union, the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Japan, China and South Korea. The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, is also a member.

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