Brussels, 31/07/2000 (Agence Europe) - The meeting between the EU and ASEAN finished last week in Bangkok in an atmosphere of "euphoria" after the continuation of the dialogue, blocked for a long-time by the Burma question, assured a European diplomat. The Thai Minister for Foreign Affairs, Surin Pitsuwan, welcomed during the final press conference the extensive European participation in the meeting and the resumption of relations. "The EU attaches great important to its relations with ASEAN both for what it represents, but also for the role it plays in the stability of the region as a whole," announced the French Co-operation Minister, Charles Josselin, who lead the EU delegation.
The two parties, gathered on the sidelines of the regional forum between ASEAN and its partners, have prepared the ministerial meeting that will take place on 11 and 12 December in Vientiane, in Laos. On this occasion the talks will be dedicated to the re-launching of the political and trade dialogue. At a political level, the EU wants to lead in December a honest discussion on Burma and specified the concrete content of the dialogue, announced Charles Josselin. The idea is to put in place seminars on topical issues: the trafficking in human beings and money laundering to start with and possibly later human rights. At an economic level, the EU would like to reinforce the dialogue on trade issues with ASEAN countries that form, as a whole, the 4th largest EU commercial partner, "before China", underlined the Commission. The ministerial meeting could specify the content of a dialogue on issues of services, investment and public markets for example, sectors that are not covered by the cooperation agreement. The EU only has bilateral contacts with Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, which acceded to ASEAN after the concluding of the 1980 cooperation agreement and contacts with the large Asian partners such as Indonesia or Thailand not passing through the region to region agreement.
Laos and Cambodia's accession protocols to the EU/Asean Agreement were signed in Bangkok on the occasion of the Regional Forum, but, for now, there is no question of extending the agreement to Burma, Asean member since 1997, the Europeans stipulated. "Maybe the time is not right, we are not complaining", the head of Burmese diplomacy, Win Aung, told AFP. In Bangkok, the Burmese representatives "proved themselves to be particularly reconciliatory" and, conversely, there was little said against the Burmese junta, notes a European diplomat. The Burmese authorities said they were prepared to co-operate with the European Troika that should be going to Rangoon in October.