Lisbon aims to rebuild EU-Asean links

Date: 02/03/2000

By Shada Islam

The Portuguese presidency is bidding to revive the EU's relations with the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations despite continuing arguments between the two groups over Burmese participation.

Ministers from the two sides have not met for region-to-region political discussions since 1997, when Burma joined the Asean bloc.

Lisbon is taking a cautious two-step approach towards breaking the impasse. It is hoping first to organise a meeting of senior Union and Asean officials in mid-April back-to-back with a gathering of experts from the wider Asem (Asia Europe Meeting) group, which includes seven Asean countries, China, Japan and South Korea. After that, efforts will focus on the more politically complicated task of organising a ministerial meeting between the two groups.

Both sides acknowledge that a high-level EU-Asean encounter is urgently needed to discuss ways of relaunching flagging economic and political ties.

But problems over Burmese participation continue to plague the relationship. Asean remains adamant that Burma, as a fully-fledged member of the club, cannot be prevented from attending meetings with the Union. "We cannot accept second-class status for one of our members," insisted one Asean diplomat.

However, EU governments - led by the UK and the Netherlands - remain wary of high-level contacts with Rangoon, arguing that Burmese military leaders show no signs of improving their poor human-rights performance or seeking a dialogue with the democratic opposition led by Nobel prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

A meeting of Union and Asean ministers due to be held in Berlin last March was cancelled after Asean refused to exclude the Burmese foreign minister from the talks. After complex negotiations, however, the EU-Asean joint cooperation committee met in Bangkok last May, with Burmese representatives allowed to attend but not to speak, take part in the discussions or fly their national flag.

The same formula will probably be used at the EU-Asean senior officials meeting planned for mid-April in Lisbon. Union diplomats say there is little opposition to allowing Burma to send an official to Lisbon since the EU visa ban can be waived for non-military Burmese personnel. But the two sides are still discussing what to put on the agenda.

Asean insists the Lisbon talks must focus on preparing the ground for a ministerial meeting between the two sides. But the UK and the Netherlands say a ministerial encounter is out of the question because their foreign ministers will not sit at the same table as a representative of the Burmese junta.

If EU-Asean relations remain blocked over Burma, there are suggestions the Union should start upgrading its bilateral relations with individual Asean members, starting with newly-democratic Indonesia.

The Portuguese Presidency is bidding to revive the EU's relations with the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations despite continuing arguments between the two groups over Burmese participation. Ministers from the two sides have not met for region-to-region political discussions since 1997, when Burma joined the Asean bloc.