AP

Posted: 2007-11-19 13:11:56

SINGAPORE, Nov. 20 (Kyodo) - (EDS: ADDING MORE INFO)

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Monday leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to abandon earlier plans to have U.N. special adviser Ibrahim Gambari brief either the ASEAN Summit or the broader East Asia Summit on the political situation in Myanmar amid strong resistance from the military junta.

Lee said that Gambari will not be speaking at the summit, which brings together leaders from the 10 ASEAN countries, Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India as proposed by Singapore. An alternative plan suggested by some ASEAN members for him to address the ASEAN Summit instead was also dropped, he said after an informal working dinner of ASEAN leaders.

The decision could be seen as a diplomatic coup for Myanmar, which has been severely criticized by Western countries for the military junta’s apathy toward democracy and human rights, especially in the military’s severe crushing of peaceful pro-democracy protestors last September. It also shows ASEAN’s lack of muscle in dealing with this political turmoil at their doorstep.

Singapore’s proposal for Gambari had roused strong opposition from Myanmar who warned Singapore that it was unnecessary and most inappropriate for ASEAN to involve Gambari and to air Myanmar’s domestic issues in this week’s multilateral meetings.

Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein, who attended the meeting “made clear that the situation in Myanmar was a domestic Myanmar affair and Myanmar was fully capable of handling the situation by itself,” Lee said after the dinner which ended at almost midnight.

“In view of Myanmar’s position, professor Gambari will not brief the ASEAN or the East Asia Summit leaders,” Lee said.

However, Lee said Singapore will facilitate his meetings with interested parties. Gambari’s aides told Kyodo News that he is expected to arrive in Singapore on Tuesday morning.

Lee said ASEAN leaders agreed that ASEAN would respect Myanmar’s wishes and make way for Myanmar to deal directly with the U.N. and the international community on its own.

However “ASEAN stands ready to play a role whenever Myanmar wants it to do so,” he said.

China has also backed Myanmar in resisting the plan for Gambari to address the EAS. China had circulated a letter to ASEAN members saying that the Myanmar issue is already being dealt with by the United Nations and so there is no need to discuss it at the EAS, informed sources said.

Some ASEAN countries — Malaysia and Indonesia — have also objected, saying the issue should be dealt with by ASEAN and if need be, Gambari should just address ASEAN and not the EAS.

“This is an ASEAN issue. Why should Gambari brief the EAS? He should brief ASEAN leaders,” said an ASEAN official on condition of anonymity.

“The EAS was set up as a platform to discuss broad strategic issues such as energy security and climate change. Bringing Gambari over would mean pointing fingers at a particular country,” he said. “Besides what happens if Myanmar gets angry and walks out of the meeting?”

Myanmar is completely against Gambari making a briefing at any forum and has also resisted any attempt to refer to Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest.

ASEAN foreign ministers have also been at odds on Singapore’s suggestion for the EAS to issue a separate statement on Myanmar.

“No, we don’t want to discuss our issue,” Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win told reporters earlier in the day.

ASEAN has been stuck in a dilemma on how to deal with Myanmar’s lack of democracy and human rights as the grouping continues to pursue a policy of non-interference in members’ domestic politics.

Observers say Singapore expected that inviting Gambari to the summit would help to divert attention away from the Myanmar issue and show that ASEAN is making a positive effort to try to resolve the problem.

Facing strong opposition from Myanmar, Singapore tried to limit Gambari’s participation by planning for him to only brief leaders before a lunch of EAS leaders, sources said. But as it turned out, even that idea would draw thunder from Myanmar.

ASEAN has been reluctant to take strong action against its fellow member since the junta’s bloody repression of peaceful democracy protests led by Buddhist monks in September. Singapore itself has close ties with Myanmar, with ailing junta leaders coming to the city-state for medical treatment. Singapore used to sell weapons to Myanmar and is one of the biggest investors there. And Myanmar also makes use of Singapore’s services as a financial hub.

As scheduled, the plenary session of ASEAN leaders will be held on Tuesday, after which they will meet counterparts from Japan, China and South Korea. This will be followed by the East Asia Summit on Tuesday and the first ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit on Thursday.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.