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The Nation(13/7/99) (r)



Burma, EU agree to continue negotiations

SINGAPORE -- Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said yesterday the political
stalemate between Burma and the European Union (EU) has been broken and the
two sides have agreed to continue their dialogue. 

The breakthrough came during the visit of mid-level EU officials to Burma
on July 6 and 7 when they met pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and
powerful intelligence figure Lt Gen Khin Nyunt. 

''The ice has been broken,'' Surin stated after meeting his Burmese
counterpart Win Aung yesterday. 

Given the positive atmosphere, an opportunity may arise at a later date for
the military junta to establish some sort of dialogue with Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy (NLD), Surin said. 

The NLD is the main opposition party which had won a landslide victory in
the 1990 election but was denied the fruits of victory by the army. 

The EU and the US placed sanctions on the cash-strapped country, accusing
the junta of violating the rights of the nation's people. 

The EU had previously refused to sit down with Asean if Burma was present
and even placed a visa ban on Rangoon's top brass. 

Asean has given Thailand the task of patching up ties between Burma and the
EU to end Burma's isolation. The country's generals have so far refused to
hold talks with Suu Kyi and are instead trying to curb her activities. 

According to Surin, Win Aung raised the issue of a road-construction
project from Prachuap Khiri Khan to Burma's Marid, where deep-sea port and
fisheries projects await Thai investments. 

Surin said the road project was stalled after Thailand was hit by the
economic crisis. 

Surin is to attend an annual ministerial meeting with his Asean
counterparts today and tomorrow. 

Meanwhile, Southeast Asia human rights groups held a press conference to
blast Asean for not doing enough to protect its own people from gross
violations of human rights in member countries. 

Speaking at a press conference here just one day ahead of the meeting of
Asean ministers, Debbie Stothard of Altsean-Burma blasted the regional
grouping for using a hands-off policy to justify its failure to resolve
human rights crises in Burma, where ''massive outflows of refugees and
migrant workers and drug production are a threat to the region''. 

BY DON PATHAN 


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