Gloria Arroyo
Puts question mark on Charter
Unless Suu Kyi is freed, it'd be diffiult to get Philippine Congress ratify it. The Australian.
Nov 21, 2007

By Mark Dodd
Singapore - PHILIPPINES President Gloria Arroyo has threatened to derail a landmark ASEAN charter promoting human rights and democracy throughout Southeast Asia less than 24 hours after its signing, by demanding Burma releases opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ms Arroyo told leaders at an ASEAN leaders' dinner on Monday evening her country's Congress would not ratify the charter unless Burma freed Ms Suu Kyi and agreed to implement democratic reforms. For the charter to be binding, it must be ratified by all 10 ASEAN members.

"The expectation of The Philippines is that if Myanmar (Burma) signs the charter, it is committed to returning to the path of democracy and releasing Aung San Suu Kyi," Ms Arroyo said.

"Until the Philippines Congress sees that happen, it would have extreme difficulty in ratifying the ASEAN charter."

Burma has emerged as a major thorn at the 13th ASEAN summit here and forced host Singapore into an embarrassing retraction of an offer to have UN Burma envoy Ibrahim Gambari brief the group's leaders and six East Asia Summit dialogue partners, including Australia.

Leaders of all 10 member states, and other regional representatives including Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, were to have received a briefing by Mr Gambari but this was cancelled late on Monday night after pressure from Prime Minister Thein Sein of Burma.

"The ASEAN leaders had a full and open discussion on the Myanmar issue at our informal working dinner," said Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

"Prime Minister Thein Sein of Myanmar made clear that the situation was a domestic Myanmar affair and that Myanmar is fully capable of handling the situation by itself.

"He (Sein) emphasised that Professor Gambari should report only to the UN Security Council and not to ASEAN or the East Asia Summit."

Mr Loong said ASEAN leaders agreed to respect the Burmese request but, as ASEAN chair, Singapore would facilitate Mr Gambari's meeting with "interested parties".

But in a strongly worded statement issued after the dinner, ASEAN leaders urged Burma's junta to open "meaningful dialogue" with Ms Suu Kyi, release her from house arrest, free all political detainees and work towards a "peaceful transition to democracy".

The charter - which aims to transform ASEAN into a rules-based organisation like the European Union - was presented to the group's foreign ministers onMonday.

One of the most significant pledges in the charter is to set up a regional human rights body.

But, under pressure from Burma, negotiators agreed to drop previous recommendations to consider sanctions, including possible expulsion, for human rights violators.

The US has applied pressure on ASEAN to adopt a tougher line on serial human rights abuser Burma, threatening to put on hold a free trade pact because of the "political situation in the region" - diplomatic code for Burma.

Visiting US Trade Representative Susan Schwab warned ASEAN leaders the grouping's credibility was at stake over its future dealings with Burma.

At least 15 people were killed, scores injured and more than 3000 arrested in a crackdown by Burma's military rulers following peaceful pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks almost two months ago.

In a rare show of defiance, 10 foreign students lit candles and staged a peaceful protest outside the official ASEAN summit centre at the Shangri-La Hotel on Monday.

The students approached in groups of three as any gathering of more than four people without a permit is regarded as an unlawful assembly in Singapore.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22793113-2703,00.html