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Asean finalises historic charter Burma warned over Asean charter
(about 4 hours later)
South East Asian foreign ministers have agreed new rules for the regional group Asean, committing members to promoting human rights and bolstering democracy. Philippine President Gloria Arroyo has said her country is unlikely to sign a new Asean charter unless Burma frees the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The charter is due to be signed at a summit on Tuesday by the bloc's 10 member states, including Burma. The regional group's new charter, which would commit members to promoting human rights and bolstering democracy, is due to be ratified at a summit on Tuesday.
It comes as Susan Schwab, the most senior US trade official, warned that Asean's credibility was at stake over its handling of the crisis in Burma. Burma's suppression of mass protests in September was widely condemned.
Asean has refused to suspend Burma over the regime's suppression of protests. The United States has warned that Asean's credibility was at stake over its handling of the crisis in Burma.
US senators had called for the suspension until the generals showed greater commitment to human rights. The county's military government has acknowledged that 15 people died during the crackdown, when security forces fired on demonstrators and thousands of people were jailed.
The military government has acknowledged that 15 people died during a crackdown in September on anti-government protests, when security forces fired on crowds and thousands of people were jailed. Earlier on Monday, the EU formally adopted tighter sanctions against Burma in response to the crackdown, including an embargo on imports of gemstones, timber and metal, and a wider visa ban against officials.
'Part of family' 'Extreme difficulty'
The yearly gathering of the Association of South East Asian Nations is one of the only international summits attended by members of Burma's ruling military council. In a statement published after she met Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein in Singapore, President Arroyo said Burma would be committing itself to restore democracy and releasing Aung San Suu Kyi if it signed the charter.
Burma's Thein Sein is representing the junta at the summit If Myanmar signs the charter, it is committed to returning to the path of democracy and releasing Aung San Suu Kyi Gloria ArroyoPhilippine President class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/4114415.stm">Profile: Asean
Prime Minister Thein Sein arrived in Singapore expecting to face strong pressure to end the military government's repression. "Those who will sign the charter agree to the objective, spirit and intent of establishing a human rights body - the full protection of human rights within Asean," she warned.
But member states gave an immediate boost to the junta when the UN special envoy on Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, was refused permission to brief the summit. "Until the Philippine Congress sees that happen, it would have extreme difficulty in ratifying the Asean charter," she added.
Host nation Singapore had invited Mr Gambari to speak, but Burma objected and gained the support of all members except the hosts, officials said. The charter will fail unless it is ratified by the parliaments of all its 10 member states.
"The briefing is off. Myanmar [Burma] feels that they deal with the UN and it is their own domestic matter," Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told AFP news agency. The Burmese authorities have not yet responded to Ms Arroyo, but they have already forced the cancellation of a planned address by the UN envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari.
Host nation Singapore had invited Mr Gambari, but Burma said his briefing would interfere with "domestic matters" and gained the support of all members except the hosts, officials said.
Singapore has also used conciliatory language in the run-up to the summit, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong describing Burma as "part of the family".Singapore has also used conciliatory language in the run-up to the summit, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong describing Burma as "part of the family".
"If you make all these fierce statements and supposing we say we expel Myanmar from Asean, what difference does it make?" he told the BBC. "If you make all these fierce statements and supposing we say we expel [Burma] from Asean, what difference does it make?" he told the BBC.
'Special responsibility''Special responsibility'
Meanwhile, the US has been stepping up pressure on Asean to take action against Burma's rulers. The warning by Ms Arroyo came shortly after the most senior US trade official, Susan Schwab, said Asean's credibility was at stake over Burma.
Ms Schwab, who is in Singapore for the summit, reiterated Washington's concerns on Monday, saying Asean had a "special responsibility" for Burma. Protesters are trying to ensure Burma's plight is not ignored
"The reputation and credibility of Asean as an organisation has been called into question because of the situation in Burma." Ms Schwab, who is in Singapore for the summit, said the regional grouping had a "special responsibility" for the country.
She said it could not be "business as usual" while the repression continued.She said it could not be "business as usual" while the repression continued.
Rights groups have criticised the bloc's charter, which will codify its rules for the first time in its 40-year history, as too weak to affect Burma's ruling generals. The proposed Asean charter would codify the bloc's rule rules for the first time in the bloc's 40-year history.
They say the document does not include a mechanism for punishing countries which fail to meet their obligations. It will also help smooth the way for the group's aim of full economic integration.
Asean is composed of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Human rights groups have criticised it, however, saying the document does not include a mechanism for punishing countries which fail to meet their obligations.
The Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) is composed of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.