Bush will urge Southeast Asian countries to influence democracy in Myanmar

Bush will urge Southeast Asian countries to influence democracy in
Myanmar
By JIM GOMEZ, AP

BUSAN, South Korea (AP) - U.S. President George W. Bush, who this week
slammed Myanmar's government as tyrannical, will urge Southeast Asian
leaders to use their influence on the reclusive country to improve the
lives of its people, senior officials said Thursday.

But the chief of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations indicated
Thursday, the day before a meeting between Bush and seven of the
group's ten leaders, that it would maintain its nonconfrontational
approach toward Myanmar.

Bush will raise the issue of Myanmar's military rule with the seven
leaders of ASEAN who are attending the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum in Busan, South Korea, when he meets them on Friday,
said Mike Green, senior director for Asian affairs on the National
Security Council.

"The president is interested in having a frank discussion with leaders
who have influence on that regime on how we can collectively try to
improve the situation for the people there," Green said.

The meeting comes immediately after Washington launched fresh criticism
of the junta.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters on the
sidelines of the APEC meetings this week that Myanmar's junta was "one
of the worst regimes in the world" for its record on human rights and
free speech. Bush, in a speech Wednesday in Japan, named China and
Myanmar as countries that "still have not taken even the first steps
toward freedom."

Rice urged Myanmar's neighbors to do more to bring about democratic
change in the country, also known as Burma.

"I understand that a lot of countries that are neighbors of Burma feel
the need to engage them, but I would hope that that engagement also
takes the form of being serious about the really quite appalling human
rights situation," Rice said.

Ong Keng Yong, ASEAN's secretary-general, told The Associated Press
that Southeast Asian governments will continue to engage Myanmar and
avoid doing anything that might prompt it to withdraw from the group.

ASEAN insists persuasion, not sanctions, is the best way to deal with
the regime.

"As part of the ASEAN group we have no other choice but to bring
Myanmar along in whatever way we can," Ong said.

"What's the alternative? The alternative is exclude Myanmar altogether
and they are not hesitant about getting into isolation," he said. "Is
that going to solve the problem?"

Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been a member of ASEAN since 1998,
but the group has come under increasing pressure from Washington and
European governments to push the ruling generals to pursue democratic
reforms and release Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.

Ong said ASEAN's goal of bringing about change in Myanmar through
economic and political engagement "may be slow, but at least they're
still at the table."

Myanmar is not among APEC's 21 members. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia,
the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are in both groups.
Cambodia and Laos round out ASEAN's membership.

The military has ruled Myanmar since 1962. The current junta came to
power in 1988 after crushing a pro-democracy uprising. It called a 1990
general election but refused to hand over power after Suu Kyi's party
won a landslide victory.

In July, Myanmar gave up its turn next year at ASEAN's rotating
chairmanship after the United States and the European Union threatened
to boycott the group's meetings.


11/17/05 08:22 EST


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