Myanmar PM visits Vietnam as Hanoi backs Yangon role in ASEAN
HANOI - Myanmar's Prime Minister Lieutenant General Soe Win received a ceremonial welcome in Vietnam's capital as an official newspaper signalled firm backing for Yangon's role in regional and international fora.
Soe Win, in Hanoi at the invitation of Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, is on a swing through Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, amid concerns over Yangon's role in the ASEAN regional grouping.
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam are the four poorest members of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
"As both countries are members of ASEAN, Vietnam and Myanmar share common viewpoints and interests," said the Vietnamese daily Nhan Dan, organ of the ruling communist party.
"Vietnam supports Myanmar's regional and international integration and its participation in the activities of ASEAN and ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting, which brings together 13 Asian states and the 25 European Union members)," Nhan Dan said in an editorial Thursday.
"The two countries will continue to defend the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of states and of consensus decisions within ASEAN," the party organ said.
Soe Win's trip comes against a backdrop of hectic diplomatic activity over concerns about military-ruled Myanmar taking the alphabetically rotating chairmanship of ASEAN as scheduled in 2006.
ASEAN foreign ministers are due to hammer out a consensus as calls have mounted to strip Myanmar of its chance to chair the group at an April 9-12 meeting in the Philippine resort city of Cebu.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has said he backed Myanmar heading the organization.
But concern has persisted within ASEAN about Myanmar setting the group's agenda and direction for a year while no tangible democratic reforms are being carried out and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest.
Politicians in ASEAN countries Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore have been seeking to prevent Myanmar's military rulers from taking over as chair next year.
The United States and the European Union have also warned ties with ASEAN may be frayed and that they may boycott further ASEAN meetings.
Myanmar joined ASEAN in 1997, two years ahead of Cambodia. Other members are Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Agence France Presse - April 07, 2005.
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