December 9, 2000	atimes.com

Special Reports Myanmar just one side of the EU-Asean coin By Fred Thurlow 1. Ministerial meeting 2. The EU position on Myanmar 3. EU-Asean relations 1. Ministerial meeting Fifteen foreign ministers from the European Union (EU) and 10 from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) are due to meet for two days in the Laos capital of Vientiane beginning December 11 - their first gathering since talks were suspended in 1997. Issues scheduled for discussion include drug problems, human trafficking, science and technology, customs, intellectual property rights, negotiations at the World Trade Organization, human resources development and "political troubles and security'', according to a Thai Foreign ministry spokesman. Central to the political troubles will be Myanmar. The EU, in protest against Myanmar joining Asean in 1997, suspended the ministerial-level talks which have been an integral part of the EU-Asean relationship since their introduction 22 years ago. The EU has refused to sit down with Myanmar's ruling military junta due to the poor human rights situation in the country and what it terms an absence of democratic processes. However, earlier this year the EU, in a major change of policy, while beefing up its sanctions against Myanmar (see below), decided not to let "the issue of Burma [Myanmar] hold the EU-Asean dialogue hostage". Consequently, the EU now "continues to explore avenues for encouraging a move towards democracy and a better respect for human rights, including the possibility of engaging in direct discussions with the government of Myanmar on these issues". As French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine said at the time: "We're shooting ourselves in the foot by linking the Asean dialogue with the question of Myanmar." Nevertheless, British Minister for State and Commonwealth Affairs, John Battle, who will attend the Laos meeting, said in Vietnam this week that Britain intends to make Myanmar the primary focus of the summit. He said Asean's stance of non-interference in Myanmar's affairs was unsustainable and warned Yangon's generals they were accountable for rights violations and socio-economic affairs. Battle also said he would be looking for understanding among the 10 Asean members that Myanmar had become a regional problem they could no longer brush off as the country's internal affairs. However, Vietnam, the current chair of Asean, said it was not aware Myanmar was on the agenda of the meeting and reiterated the regional bloc's position that Asean will not raise this issue and "Asean considers it Myanmar's internal affairs". "In their relations with Asean, dialogue partners always respect Asean's position, and it is our hope that the EU will do the same when touching on the internal situation in Myanmar," Vietnam's Foreign Ministry said. Battle also stressed, though, that the EU and ASEAN were looking for a new approach towards Myanmar, adding the intention in Vientiane would not be "to simply turn up and blame [Myanmar] and say we think you are a form of moral evil". "What we need to see is an opening of [Myanmar] so we're trying to find ways to actually prize the situation open by using the political power that's in the region - they are a member of Asean," Battle was quoted as saying. In November, Asean leaders took a firm stand at their annual summit to reject any dialogue with the EU if it excluded the presence of Myanmar. Malaysia in particular has been vocal, even threatening to send a junior delegate. Ministers within Asean have formally agreed on the urgency of intensifying Asean-EU economic cooperation. Asean originally proposed the ministerial meeting, the 13th, be held in Laos in November, but France - which holds the current chairmanship of the EU - suggested December. Laos assumed the role of Asean-EU coordinator, succeeding Thailand, earlier this year. Asean's members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. 2. The EU position on Myanmar The EU initially imposed sanctions because of the treatment of the opposition led by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Her party won an election in 1990 by a landslide but the military ignored the result and detained many of its members. Following ongoing concern over violations of human rights and the lack of progress towards democracy in Myanmar, the EU in October 1996 defined a common position towards the country. The position has been reassessed, and in some cases modified, every six months since then. Main points Ban on military personnel attached to diplomatic representations in the EU. Ban on entry and transit visas for senior members of the ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council and their families and to authorities in the tourism sector. Ban on entry and transit visas for senior members of the military or security forces who formulate, implement or benefit from polices that impede Myanmar's transition to democracy, and their families. Freezing of funds held in the EU belonging to the two above categories. Suspension of high-level bilateral government (ministers and officials at the level of political director and above) visits to Myanmar. An embargo on equipment that might be used for internal repression or terrorism. A suspension of cooperation programs other than humanitarian assistance, although exceptions may be made for projects in support of human rights and democracy and the provision of basic needs for the poorest sections of the population. Currently, US$6 million has been earmarked for humanitarian assistance, mainly to refugees. However, the aid can only be provided when circumstances permitted; that is, a certain degree of cooperation from the ruling regime is required. Tourism: At the General Affairs Council of October 26, 1998, the EU extended an entry and transit visa ban to Myanmar authorities in the tourism sector. At the same time, the EU stated that it is inappropriate for tourists to visit Myanmar. The EU has not gone as far as imposing any trade, investment or financial sanctions on Myanmar. However, its Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP), which allowed Myanmese exports to the EU preferential tariff treatment, was withdrawn in March 1997. This followed complaints by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and a subsequent investigation by the European Commission into the use of forced labor in Myanmar. In April 2000, EU foreign ministers tightened sanctions against Burma following a routine six-monthly review of the sanctions in Luxembourg. The ministers extended for a further six months a ban on letting various Myanmar officials visit EU countries. The visa ban had been due to expire at the end of April. In moves led by Britain and Denmark to tighten the sanctions, the ministers banned the export of "equipment that might be used for internal repression or terrorism''. They also agreed to publish the names of the officials affected by the visa ban and to impose a freeze on any funds held abroad by these people. However, in a conciliatory gesture, reflecting the desire of some member states for a broader political dialogue as a way of putting pressure on Myanmar, EU ministers stressed the importance of the EU-Asean relationship. The ministers also agreed the EU "troika", its top foreign policy team, should visit Myanmar to explain and promote the aims of the EU's policy towards the country, but set no date. They also agreed to ask the EU's executive European Commission to look at the possibilities for increased cooperation with Myanmar but gave no details. 3. EU-Asean relations The European Union is one of Asean's most important economic partners. Asean-EU trade was $89.9 billion in 1999 and investment from the EU totaled $4.1 billion in 1998. The European Economic Community (EEC) was the first dialogue partner to establish informal relations with Asean in 1972 through the Special Coordinating Committee of Asean (SCCAN). On May 7, 1975, an Asean-EEC Joint Study Group (JSG) was formed to look into collaborative endeavors between the two regions. In February 1977, the Special Meeting of Asean Foreign Ministers in Manila proposed that Asean establish ties with the Council of Ministers of the EEC and the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) through which Asean could make representations against the growing protectionism of the EEC countries. Asean's relationship with the EEC was also formalized in that year. The relationship took an important step forward when the then German vice chancellor and foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher proposed to the then Thai foreign minister and chairman of the Asean Standing Committee Upadit Panchariyangkun that regular contacts between Asean and EEC be raised to the ministerial level. Subsequently, the 1st Asean-EEC Ministerial Meeting was held in Brussels in September 1978. The links with the EEC were institutionalized in March 1980 with the signing of the EC-Asean Cooperation Agreement at the Second Asean-EEC Ministerial Meeting in Kuala Lumpur. Under the Agreement, objectives for commercial, economic and technical cooperation were established and a Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) was formed as a mechanism to monitor Asean-EEC cooperation. The agreement is signed by the EU on the one hand and the individual countries of Asean on the other. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam were the initial signatories, with Laos and Cambodia acceding in July 2000. The EU will not negotiate an extension of the agreement to Myanmar over human rights concerns. Participation in the agreement allows parties to be involved in EU-Asean cooperation activities, mainly in the economic field.To further boost trade and investment links between the EU and Asean, both sides are working on a number of projects designed to enhance trade and economic flows between the two regions. In this context, the EU supports a number of programs dealing with trade, sectoral cooperation (energy, aviation), business links, and education. Discussions regarding ongoing and future activities take place within the JCC, which are held approximately every 18 months.The 13th JCC took place in Bangkok in May 1999. The EU currently contributes about $125 million to ongoing EU-Asean co-operation programs. Asean-EU relations intensified in 1994. The 11th Asean-EU Ministerial Meeting (AEMM) in Karlsruhe, Germany in September 1994 was a landmark meeting as the meeting agreed to the creation of an ad hoc Eminent Persons Group (EPG), with members drawn from both regions, to develop a comprehensive approach to Asean-EU political and security, economic and cultural relations towards the year 2000 and beyond. The "spirit of Karlsruhe" also provided the momentum for the First Meeting of the Asean-EU Senior Officials (SOM) in Singapore in 1995, the 12th Asean-EC JCC in Brussels, Belgium in October 1995 and the Second Meeting of the Asean-EU SOM in 1996 in Dublin, Ireland, where frank discussions were held on a wide range of issues, including sensitive topics. The launch of the New Asia Strategy in 1994 and the declaration that Asean would remain the cornerstone of the EUs dialogue with countries in Asia at the Karlsruhe meeting set the stage for the convening of the first Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) which held its inaugural summit in Bangkok in March 1996 as well as the first Asem Foreign Ministers Meeting in Singapore in February 1997, where Asean played a pivotal role. Another important step in the Asia-Europe partnership was the launching of the Asia-Europe Foundation (Asef) based in Singapore in February 1997, which will foster greater people-to-people relations and develop institutional linkages between Asia and Europe. The New Dynamic: The so-called New Dynamic was launched at the EU-Asean Ministerial Meeting in Singapore in February 1997 to set both sides on a path to greater cooperation. The Joint Declaration promised a deeper political dialogue, co-operation in international fora and the importance of enhanced economic cooperation. The main achievement of the JCC meeting in Bangkok in May 1999 was the adoption of a work program to implement the New Dynamic. This program, drawn up by the European Commission, focuses on practical ways of increasing business and trade ties between the two groups, for example by: Enabling trade experts from both sides to talk to each other in a pragmatic, constructive and non-confrontational manner on market access issues; Negotiating a protocol on customs cooperation and mutual administrative assistance; Negotiating a protocol on quality, safety and sanitary standards, certification procedures and regulations; Developing efforts to facilitate the liberalization of trade in services, and; Exchanging views on investment and capital flows intra-regional cooperation The EU has been a longstanding dialogue partner of Asean. This entails regular EU-Asean Ministerial meetings, EU participation in the Post Ministerial Conferences which take place immediately after Asean's annual ministerial meetings and in the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) - the only security forum in Asia. The EU is a full member of the ARF. Since 1978 EU-Asean Ministerial Meetings have taken place every two years, and since 1995 it has been agreed that EU-Asean senior officials would meet between ministerial meetings. Regular dialogue between Asean and European Commission (EC) senior officials on multilateral trade and on market access issues began in 2000. Cooperation Cooperation between the EU and Asean embraces a wide variety of areas and programs, such as: Standards: EC-Asean Standards, Quality and Conformity Assessment Program (ISQAPII) - encourages economic cooperation in areas of industrial standards and quality assurance; Intellectual property: The EC-Asean Intellectual Property Program signed bilaterally between the EC and Asean member countries aims to achieve adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights; Trade in services: EC-Asean Cooperation in Maritime Transport facilitates the free flow of services in the spirit of World Trade Organization and the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs. There is also a an EC-Asia Civil Aviation Cooperation Program; Investment and business cooperation: Asia-Invest supports the promotion of investment in Asia (including Asean) and helps SMEs do business with each other through projects such as the Asean-EU Partenariat and Asia-Interprise; Energy: Cogen - accelerating implementation of proven cogeneration technologies - and the Asean Center for Energy - increasing energy cooperation between the two regions; Environment: Asean Regional Center for Biodiversity Conservation - enhancing the capacity of Asean countries to promote conservation; Regional Institute of Environmental Technology - fosters technology transfer and links in the environment field; Development Cooperation: Aid efforts to alleviate pockets of poverty in Asean countries through rural and social development programs as well as the social impacts of the economic crisis; Inter-regional strategy: Institutional Program for the Asean Secretariat (IDPAS) - providing technical support for the Asean Secretariat; Education and training: Asean-EC Management Center, Brunei; Postgraduate Technological Studies Program, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok; European Studies Programs, Thailand and Malaysia. The Asean-EU University Networks Program will build links between educational institutions in the two regions, and; Science and technology: 5th Framework Program on Research and Technological Development - examines science and technology priorities for Asean countries. (Special to Asia Times Online)

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