Khin Nyunt shows up, we exit, declares EU

Politics

Khin Nyunt shows up, we exit, declares EU

The European Union's current president, The Netherlands, has promised a walk out from the Asia-Europe summit meeting in October if Burma's Prime Minister Khin Nyunt turns up without making good its earlier promise to release Aung San Suu Kyi, reports Sai Wansai, General Secretary of the Shan Democratic Union, from Amsterdam:

Asked by Shan and Karen representatives on 10 September what EU would do, if Gen Khin Nyunt, and not his foreign minister Win Aung, sits at ASEM to be held in Hanoi, 8-9 October, Robert Milders, Director of Asia and Oceania Department, replied, "We will walk out. It is as simple as that."

Sai Wansai

Saw Sarky

Another official explained later to Wansai and Saw Sarky, Karen National Union's representative, that Vietnam, as the host country, must circulate a list of delegates before the summit "and if the EU doesn't like the junta's choice, it may as well choose to stay home."

Five days later, the EU foreign ministers agreed to tighten sanctions against Burma if it does not release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi by 8 October.

In spite of its verbal warnings, the EU officials were also aware that Rangoon had not shown one bit that it would be turning to a new coat. "The SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) is like an uninterested soccer player in the championship league," Milders observed. "What on earth is he doing, if he is not interested to play ball?"

Nevertheless, he went on to explain that EU is exercising what he called "a dual-track policy" which emphasizes "engagement" as well as "pressure", in other words, "a mixture of carrots and sticks," in dealing with the Burma issue.

"Engagement through Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is a better way to deal with Burma," he argued, "and Asean is in a better position to carry this out than the EU. In extension, China, Japan and the countries within the region should also be included to pressure Burma for democratic change."

The foreign ministry officials at the meeting were reportedly impressed by the duo's "Dossier-File" presented to them. "The contents and the maps which we used in explaining the situation were factual, clear and short to the point," says Wansai. "They commented that it was a 'complex situation made easy' presentation."

Aside from the expected call for European support for Tripartite Dialogue, a nation-wide ceasefire and release of political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi, the two representatives also urged the EU on the following points, among others:

• To demand Rangoon to endorse and facilitate a conference of five main non-Burman groupings, comprising of the ceasefire armies, non-cease fire armies, legal ethnic-based political parties, deregistered ethnic-based political parities and exiled ethnic groups

• To recognize the elected members of parliament as the legitimate representatives of Burma

• To implement a benchmark policy to encourage a process for democratization

On the sidelines, the twosome met Marino Busdachin, General Secretary of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization "the Shadow UN" and A. Burhan, European representative of Indonesia's Megawati Sukarnoputri, who talked about the problems surrounding Aceh, South Moluccas and West Papua and the necessity to preserve the Indonesian unity through a federal arrangement. "When we informed him of our position on genuine federalism," reports Wansai, "he was impressed and said we are on the same wavelength."