Reuters : ASEAN urges national reco

[hlaing@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

ASEAN urges national reconciliation in Myanmar 
07:20 a.m. Jul 25, 1998 Eastern 

MANILA, July 25 (Reuters) - The Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN) on Saturday urged member state Myanmar, torn by a political
conflict between the military junta and pro-democracy campaigners, to work
harder for reconciliation. 

Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon, chairman of a two-day ASEAN
foreign ministers conference in Manila, said both sides in the conflict
should approach negotiations without preconditions. 

``We would be happy if indeed the reconciliation process is accelerated,''
he told a news conference at the end of the meeting. 

``It takes all parties in a process of conflict to move towards
convergence. We would like to see that when we talk about national
reconciliation... 

``Dialogue should be without conditions. If you are prepared to negotiate,
you should say, 'I am prepared to meet you'. The devil you may be --
because we are both devils in each other's eyes if you don't like each
other -- but no conditions. 

Siazon said he had had an intense exchange of views with Myanmar
authorities and that he believed that universities there would be
re-opened. 

The military government closed institutions of higher learning in December
1996 after widespread student unrest. 

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi leads continued efforts to democratise
Myanmar, but her movements are restricted. 

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy swept the last general 
election in May 1990, but the military ignored the results and has refused
to convene parliament. 

ASEAN accepted Myanmar in the regional grouping last year despite vehement
objections by Western countries and human rights groups. 

The other members of the nine-nation group are Malaysia, Indonesia,
Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam and Laos.