Brussels, 12/12/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Union and the countries of South east Asia ended their first ministerial meeting in three years, on Tuesday, having approved a joint declaration that touches upon the issue of Burma (which had been at the origin of the suspension of the dialogue), as well as other issues of dissention between the two blocks. It is a "success as, for the first time, the ASEAN countries agreed to raise the situation in one of their member countries, whereas so far they had refused in the name of non-interference in domestic affairs", said the French Minister for Cooperation, Charles Josselin, who co-chaired the session.
The final declaration, to have emerged from laborious preparations: a) calls for a rapid resumption of talks between the military junta of Rangoon and the democratic opposition, stipulating that discussions on developments in Burma had been "frank" and congratulating the work achieved by the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General, the Malaysian Razali Ismail; b) backs "the joint efforts of the international community and Indonesia towards a rapid solution of the situation of the refugees in East Timor" and provides "unreserved backing for a united, democratic and prosperous Indonesia"; c) mentions in general "the respect of human rights"; d) supports the launch of a new round of negotiations within the World Trade Organisation (WTO) "as soon as possible", on the basis of a balanced agenda taking account of the concerns of the developing countries; e) placed back on track cooperation between the EU and ASEAN in economic areas and of regional security, notably welcoming the "undertakings of the countries of South East Asia to speed-up regional economic integration through free trade, investment, cooperation in the sectors of industry, information and communication technology". f) provides for a next ministerial meeting to be held in Europe but without specifying when. This cautious meeting can be explained by the Union's persistent refusal to allow the dignitaries of the Rangoon regime to have access to Union and ASEAN's refusal to meet without their Burmese partner. Mr Josselin hoped that this issue, at the origin of the dispute between the two blocs, would have made sufficient progress before the next session. Rangoon, at any rate, accepted, in Vientiane, to receive the European Troika next January and to allow it to meet the democratic opposition by promising to lift the restrictions that still bear on some of its representatives (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.10). These commitments, which are not mentioned in the joint declaration, were accepted by Burma "very clearly and openly, in the presence of other ASEAN delegates", stressed Mr Josselin.