Myanmar agreed yesterday to forgo the ASEAN chairmanship next year to avoid a damaging Western boycott of the group's meetings, as foreign ministers meeting in Laos prepared an accord on joining forces during tsunamis and other catastrophes.
The US and the EU had demanded that military-ruled Myanmar move toward democracy and release pro-democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi or forfeit its turn at the rotating chairmanship of the 10-member regional bloc.
Myanmarese Foreign Minister Nyan Win told fellow ASEAN ministers during a retreat yesterday in the Laotian capital that the junta would relinquish the chairmanship, a joint ASEAN statement said. The post goes instead to next-in-line Philippines, Philippine Foreign Minister Alberto Romulo said.
`Full attention'
Nyan Win said his government wanted to give its "full attention" to its "ongoing national reconciliation and democratization process," the ASEAN statement said.
"We agreed that once Myanmar is ready to take its turn to be the ASEAN chair, it can do so," the ASEAN ministers said in the statement.
The issue came to a head in Laos this week during the group's annual ministerial meeting that runs through Friday, followed by the ASEAN Regional Forum -- a security dialogue with 14 other governments with interests in the region, such as the US, the EU, Russia and China.
ASEAN's more rapidly developing countries had feared damage to their trade ties with the West over the chairmanship issue. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice skipped this week's meeting, sending a deputy instead, in what diplomats suspected could be a precursor to a full boycott.
Asia expert Larry Wortzel of the Heritage Foundation in Washington said that handing the chairmanship to Myanmar would have been "foolish."
"Certainly Burma as chair would make it difficult for the US to focus its diplomacy on other matters of concern to the ASEAN states," Wortzel said.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer welcomed ASEAN's decision.
"I think under these circumstances it is better that Myanmar focus on political and constitutional reform," he told reporters during a trip to Thailand.
Snubbed
Despite Myanmar's stated intention to focus on national reconciliation, the Myanmarese foreign minister snubbed the UN envoy who had tried to push those efforts forward since 2002.
Nyan Win refused to meet with UN envoy Razali Ismail during this week's six-day conference in Laos, sending him a message that "he would be too busy," said Razali, who came to Vientiane specifically to meet the foreign minister.
The ASEAN ministers were set to sign a pact later yesterday to improve cooperation in emergency preparedness and to expedite customs procedures to ensure fast responses during tsunamis and other disasters.
Wary of relying too heavily on aid from other governments -- often with military involvement -- countries in the region want better local coordination of shipments of medicine, food and emergency supplies.
‘UNFRIENDLY’: Changing the nationality listing of Taiwanese residents to ‘China’ goes against EU foreign policy as well as democratic and human rights principles, MOFA said Taiwan yesterday called on Denmark to correct its designation of the nationality of Taiwanese residents as “China” or face retaliatory measures. The Danish government in 2024 changed the nationality of Taiwanese citizens on their residence permits from “Taiwan” to “China.” The decision goes against EU foreign policy and contravenes democratic and human rights principles, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said. Denmark should present a solution acceptable to Taiwan as soon as possible and correct the erroneous designation to preserve the longstanding friendship between the two nations, Hsiao said. The issue could damage Denmark’s image and business reputation in Taiwan,
KEY INDUSTRY: The vice premier discussed a plan to create a non-red drone supply chain by next year, which has been allocated a budget of more than NT$7.2 billion The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Cho made the remarks during a visit to the facilities of Cub Elecparts Inc (為升電裝). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝依鳳) also participated in the trip. Cub Elecparts has transitioned from the automotive industry to the defense industry, which is the top priority among the nation’s
SUFFICIENT: The president said Taiwan has enough oil for next month, with reserves covering more than 100 days and natural gas enough for 12 to 14 days A restart plan for the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) and the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) would be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Commission by the end of the month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, reversing the government’s policy to abolish nuclear energy. On May 17 last year, Taiwan shut down its last nuclear reactor and became the first non-nuclear nation in East Asia, fulfilling the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s pledge of a “nuclear-free homeland.” Even without nuclear power, Taiwan can maintain a stable electricity supply until 2032,
DEROGATORY: WTO host Cameroon’s designation of Taiwan as a ‘province of China’ seriously undermines the nation’s status and rights as a WTO member, MOFA said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned Cameroon for listing Taiwan as “Taiwan, Province of China” in visa documents for an upcoming WTO ministerial conference, a move that led to Taiwan’s withdrawal from the event. The designation “seriously undermined” Taiwan’s status and rights as a WTO member, the ministry said in a statement. It is the first time since 2001 that Taiwan has declined to attend a WTO Ministerial Conference. The conference is scheduled to take place from Thursday to Sunday next week in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. Taiwan had planned to send a delegation led by Minister Without Portfolio
RSS