[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

Business Times on Burma



19990126 
Yangon: thorn in the side of EU-Asean ties 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
By Shada Islam 
THE last-minute cancellation of the meeting between European Union and Asean
senior officials scheduled for Bangkok yesterday illustrates the growing gap
in trust and confidence between the two regions. 

Over the years, the two groups have agreed to disagree over their approach
to human rights. But quarrels over policy towards Myanmar have brought the
EU-Asean relationship to a virtual standstill. Both sides now need to ask
themselves if the 30-year-old EU-Asean relationship -- with the benefits it
can bring to both regions in areas like trade, investment and industry --
should be sacrificed because of disagreement on how to deal with Yangon. 

Bickering over Myanmar's participation in EU-Asean meetings is nothing new.
Over the last 16 months, however, EU and Asean diplomats appeared to have
reached a cautious truce. There was agreement that Myanmar would have a
"passive presence" at the talks in Bangkok. Yangon would not use its flag.
It would also not be allowed to speak. 

Then, eleventh-hour difficulties arose over Myanmar's name plate. Last
Wednesday, EU ambassadors vetoed European participation in the Bangkok
meeting, arguing that Thailand had not made provisions for a special name
plate for Myanmar. 

The EU was adamant that the plaque must state clearly that Myanmar was a new
Asean member and not part of the EU-Asean cooperation accord. Thai
officials, however, had failed to understand just how important the issue
was for Europe. 

On Thursday, Asean countries came back with fresh proposals which met
European demands for an "invisible" Myanmar presence at the talks. In
essence, Asean agreed that the name plate for Myanmar would make it clear
that the country is a "non-party" to the EU-Asean trade and cooperation
agreement. 

Asean, however, refused EU demands that the final deal should be put down on
paper. After last-minute crisis talks, the meeting was cancelled. If skilful
diplomats have failed to save the day, is there any point in continuing the
EU-Asean relationship? 

Certainly, differences over how to deal with Myanmar are so fundamental that
they will come back to haunt future encounters between the two groups. If
they are to build a new partnership, bickering over Yangon will have to
cease. 


Instead, the EU and Asean will have to focus on areas where both want to
reinforce their relations. In recent months, EU governments have been
heartened by Asean's more assertive stance vis-a-vis the Yangon military
regime. 

They now want Asean to go one step further and condemn Myanmar. While some
Asean members may harbour their own doubts about Myanmar, Asean as a whole
is adamant that the country cannot be kept out of EU-Asean meetings and
treated like a second-class member. This means more trouble ahead. 

Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands -- countries which favour the toughest
approach towards Myanmar's military junta -- are adamant that the compromise
designed in advance of the Bangkok meeting does not set a precedent for
further EU-Asean encounters. 

In other words, Myanmar's presence at the EU-Asean foreign ministers meeting
in Berlin is not guaranteed. There is a legal reason for this. Under the
list of EU sanctions adopted last December, European governments cannot
grant visas to Myanmar government representatives and their families. Even
if Germany, which will be hosting the meeting, could waive this for
diplomatic reasons, many other EU governments do not want the Myanmar
foreign minister to attend. 

The argument is that inviting Myanmar's foreign minister to a high-level
encounter in Europe could lead to criticism by European human rights
lobbies. The conundrum highlights the need for both sides to take an honest
look at their relationship. 

If it is true that EU-Asean cooperation is worth preserving and developing,
then both groups have to agree to put policy differences over Myanmar behind
them. Both regions have much to gain by this. Europeans are anxious to show
Asean that they are not mere fair-weather friends, that they are still
interested in Asean and its future. Asean, for its part, is looking for open
European markets and more investments from Europe. 

Globally, both regions have an interest in promoting trade liberalisation
and fighting protection. Over the next few months, governments on both sides
will have to decide whether these economic arguments are compelling enough
to prompt a shift in gear. If not, EU-Asean relations will remain mired in
acrimony for all time. 

The writer is a Brussels-based journalist who contributes to BT