China and India should use economic leverage to persuade Myanmar

Agence France Presse – English

April 19, 2006 Wednesday 12:10 PM GMT

UBUD, Indonesia

ASEAN should work with China and India to persuade army-ruled Myanmar to reform since the regional powerhouses have stronger economic leverage, the bloc's chief Ong Keng Yong said Wednesday.

Ong said there was "certain impatience" among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with Myanmar's foot-dragging on democracy but the grouping had limited leverage to pressure its fellow member.

"Most of ASEAN believe that Myanmar authorities can only move forward if you have certain leverage applied on them," Ong told reporters as ASEAN foreign ministers began arriving on Indonesia's Bali island before an informal retreat Thursday.

"The best way is to work with our neighbors who have better leverage with Myanmar. China and India have common borders with Myanmar," he said.

"They are also very involved in cross-border trade, in investment, in tourism and in other things," he added.

Myanmar is expected to be a key agenda item at the retreat in the cultural hill town of Ubud.

Ong chided the two regional giants late last month, saying ASEAN should ask them to be more persuasive towards Myanmar and there was little point in them being ASEAN's dialogue partners if they were not contributing on the issue.

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda also said the two nations must help out.

"The Myanmar issue is difficult for ASEAN. We must admit that, but we should not see it as solely the burden of ASEAN. There are also major key players that have significant influence: China and India," he told reporters.

"They can help by promoting democracy in Myanmar. They can help in any way they can."

Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo also said last month that China's and India's open policy on Myanmar diluted the impact of Western sanctions.

China is Myanmar's staunchest international ally and a major trading partner.

Ong said ASEAN was disappointed that Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was unable to meet detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and junta leader Than Shwe when he visited Yangon last month.

"There is a certain impatience because the people around the region as well as around the world say, You keep talking, you keep going there -- and then what happened?" he said.

"People want to see some concrete steps forward."

Syed Hamid is due to brief the ministers about his Myanmar trip at a working dinner later Wednesday. His Myanmar counterpart Nyan Win is also to give a rundown on the visit.

Speaking to reporters upon his arrival in Ubud, Syed Hamid said he was "not totally happy" with progress in Myanmar.

"There are still more things to be done," he said. "Our intention was to engage with everybody. So, since we were not able to, in that respect you can see that."

But he said he was given an opportunity by the Myanmar junta "to express our views quite openly on behalf of ASEAN."

Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon said he was also disappointed with the results of Syed Hamid's visit.

"What we would like to do is to see movement in Myanmar toward national reconciliation with a good and clear timeframe," he told reporters, adding that the ministers would have a "good discussion" Wednesday night.

Myanmar agreed at last year's ASEAN summit to invite Syed Hamid in the face of growing international pressure for evidence of its democratic progress, as well as embarrassment among some members over its 1997 inclusion in the bloc.

ASEAN ministers are due to discuss a charter for the bloc which could give it muscle to deal with wayward members like Myanmar.

Myanmar's military regime has spelt out a "road map" for democracy, including talks on a new constitution. But Aung San Suu Kyi's party has boycotted the process, which critics have called a sham.