At Asia summit, Germany sees progress on Myanmar

May 26, 2009, 9:14 GMT

   Hanoi - Asian governments have become more willing to join European ones in criticizing the authoritarian government in Myanmar, a senior German diplomat said Tuesday.

   German Minister of State for Europe Guenter Gloser said European and Asian diplomats meeting this week in Hanoi had come closer than usual in reprimanding Myanmar's leaders for jailing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

   'I think that at this conference we found a language that was different from those of previous conferences,' Gloser told the German Press Agency dpa.

   Gloser said Asian governments involved in discussions during the Asia-Europe Meeting had expressed disapproval at the 'lack of progress' in Myanmar. A joint statement to be issued at the end of the conference on Tuesday evening is expected to address Myanmar.

   Some South-East Asian countries expressed irritation at Myanmar for putting the Nobel Peace Prize laureate on trial this week for allegedly violating the terms of her house arrest.

   Suu Kyi, whose party's landslide victory in the 1990 national elections was not recognized by the regime, has spent 14 of the past 20 years under house arrest.

   Last week Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva drew praise from the European Union for a statement of 'grave concern' over Suu Kyi's trial. Like EU diplomats, Abhisit stressed the need for transparency in Myanmar's national elections, scheduled for next year.

   Gloser said the participation of countries of the Association of South East Asian (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is a member, in pressuring Myanmar on human rights and democracy issues was crucial because European Union sanctions have not worked.

   'When the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested, we saw that the rulers of Myanmar did exactly the opposite of what we had expected from them,' Gloser said.

   The sanctions, which target hundreds of families and businesses with close ties to the military regime, have been ineffective in part because Chinese companies have become large-scale investors in Myanmar.

   But Gloser said the economic effects on European businesses should not be a consideration in whether or not to lift the sanctions.

   'We are talking here about questions of human rights and democracy,' Gloser said. 'These issues enjoy priority over the concerns of individual companies.'