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

Reuters-Former Japanese premier mee



Subject: Reuters-Former Japanese premier meets Myanmar leaders 

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0039_01BF3C69.D81A5420
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Former Japanese premier meets Myanmar leaders=20
04:00 a.m. Dec 01, 1999 Eastern=20
YANGON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The senior foreign policy adviser to Japan's =
prime minister's met senior officials of Myanmar's military government =
on Wednesday to discuss Japan's offer to resume aid if the generals move =
towards democracy.=20

Former premier Ryutaro Hashimoto met intelligence chief =
Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt and Foreign Minister Win Aung in Yangon =
and was to hold afternoon talks with Senior General Than Shwe, the head =
of the ruling State Peace and Development Council.=20

Hashimoto's visit follows summit-level talks between Japanese Prime =
Minister Keizo Obuchi and Than Shwe in the Philippines on Sunday, the =
first between the countries in 15 years.=20

No details emerged after the Yangon meetings, but a Japanese diplomat in =
Bangkok told Reuters: ``What Mr Hashimoto is going to discuss with =
Myanmar is more or less what Mr Obuchi discussed with General Than Shwe =
in Manila a few days ago.''=20

Obuchi told Than Shwe on Sunday he wanted Myanmar's democratisation =
process to move forward in a ``visible'' way. He said the economy was in =
a dire condition, and offered help should the government seriously take =
up economic structural reform.=20

But he said it would be easier for Tokyo to provide such help if Myanmar =
speeded up the democratisation process in a way that would be clear to =
the Japanese people.=20

Asked what the visible progress Obuchi referred to might be, the =
diplomat replied: ``It could be the start of full dialogue between the =
SPDC and Aung San Suu Kyi -- that could be a sign. I'm not sure, but it =
has to be considered case-by-case in future.=20

``NO CHANGE'' IN JAPAN'S POLICY=20

``At this stage I'm sure there are no specific plans to extend new =
economic cooperation to Myanmar,'' the diplomat said, adding that there =
had been no change in Japan's policy towards Yangon.=20

``As a friend of Myanmar for many years, Japan would like to cooperate =
with Myanmar, but there is this condition -- we have to see some visible =
development for democratisation in Myanmar.''=20

The military has long resisted dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, the =
leader of the opposition National League for Democracy.=20

The NLD won the country's last election in 1990 by a landslide but was =
never allowed to govern. The military has since tried to silence it =
through a campaign of arrests and intimidation that has provoked U.S. =
and EU sanctions.=20

Japan, which used to be Myanmar's biggest aid donor, suspended =
assistance -- including yen loans, grant aid and technical assistance -- =
in 1988 after the military seized direct power by crushing a =
pro-democracy uprising.=20

Even so, Tokyo has generally taken a softer approach than the West, =
opting for engagement rather than sanctions.=20

It has provided some limited assistance since Suu Kyi, who favours =
sanctions, was freed from six years house arrest in 1995.=20

This has involved a 2.5 billion yen ($24.5 million) loan in March 1998 =
for safety projects at Yangon Airport and an 800 million yen loan for a =
food production project.=20

The diplomat said such assistance was decided on a case-by-case basis =
out of humanitarian considerations.=20

``We believe engagement is better than isolation,'' he said. ``This =
(visit) is not a change in our policy at all. Our policy is maintained, =
there is no change.''=20

Hashimoto, officially described as being on a ``private visit'' with =
officials of the Nippon Foundation, was due to stay in Myanmar until =
Friday.=20





------=_NextPart_000_0039_01BF3C69.D81A5420
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT size=3D+1><STRONG>Former Japanese =
premier meets=20
Myanmar leaders</STRONG></FONT> <BR>04:00 a.m. Dec 01, 1999 Eastern=20
<P>YANGON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The senior foreign policy adviser to =
Japan's prime=20
minister's met senior officials of Myanmar's military government on =
Wednesday to=20
discuss Japan's offer to resume aid if the generals move towards =
democracy.=20
<P>Former premier Ryutaro Hashimoto met intelligence chief =
Lieutenant-General=20
Khin Nyunt and Foreign Minister Win Aung in Yangon and was to hold =
afternoon=20
talks with Senior General Than Shwe, the head of the ruling State Peace =
and=20
Development Council.=20
<P>Hashimoto's visit follows summit-level talks between Japanese Prime =
Minister=20
Keizo Obuchi and Than Shwe in the Philippines on Sunday, the first =
between the=20
countries in 15 years.=20
<P>No details emerged after the Yangon meetings, but a Japanese diplomat =
in=20
Bangkok told Reuters: ``What Mr Hashimoto is going to discuss with =
Myanmar is=20
more or less what Mr Obuchi discussed with General Than Shwe in Manila a =
few=20
days ago.''=20
<P>Obuchi told Than Shwe on Sunday he wanted Myanmar's democratisation =
process=20
to move forward in a ``visible'' way. He said the economy was in a dire=20
condition, and offered help should the government seriously take up =
economic=20
structural reform.=20
<P>But he said it would be easier for Tokyo to provide such help if =
Myanmar=20
speeded up the democratisation process in a way that would be clear to =
the=20
Japanese people.=20
<P>Asked what the visible progress Obuchi referred to might be, the =
diplomat=20
replied: ``It could be the start of full dialogue between the SPDC and =
Aung San=20
Suu Kyi -- that could be a sign. I'm not sure, but it has to be =
considered=20
case-by-case in future.=20
<P>``NO CHANGE'' IN JAPAN'S POLICY=20
<P>``At this stage I'm sure there are no specific plans to extend new =
economic=20
cooperation to Myanmar,'' the diplomat said, adding that there had been =
no=20
change in Japan's policy towards Yangon.=20
<P>``As a friend of Myanmar for many years, Japan would like to =
cooperate with=20
Myanmar, but there is this condition -- we have to see some visible =
development=20
for democratisation in Myanmar.''=20
<P>The military has long resisted dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, the =
leader of=20
the opposition National League for Democracy.=20
<P>The NLD won the country's last election in 1990 by a landslide but =
was never=20
allowed to govern. The military has since tried to silence it through a =
campaign=20
of arrests and intimidation that has provoked U.S. and EU sanctions.=20
<P>Japan, which used to be Myanmar's biggest aid donor, suspended =
assistance --=20
including yen loans, grant aid and technical assistance -- in 1988 after =
the=20
military seized direct power by crushing a pro-democracy uprising.=20
<P>Even so, Tokyo has generally taken a softer approach than the West, =
opting=20
for engagement rather than sanctions.=20
<P>It has provided some limited assistance since Suu Kyi, who favours =
sanctions,=20
was freed from six years house arrest in 1995.=20
<P>This has involved a 2.5 billion yen ($24.5 million) loan in March =
1998 for=20
safety projects at Yangon Airport and an 800 million yen loan for a food =

production project.=20
<P>The diplomat said such assistance was decided on a case-by-case basis =
out of=20
humanitarian considerations.=20
<P>``We believe engagement is better than isolation,'' he said. ``This =
(visit)=20
is not a change in our policy at all. Our policy is maintained, there is =
no=20
change.''=20
<P>Hashimoto, officially described as being on a ``private visit'' with=20
officials of the Nippon Foundation, was due to stay in Myanmar until =
Friday.=20
<P><BR></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0039_01BF3C69.D81A5420--