|
President Arroyo on Monday expressed confidence that
Myanmar would release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
and take the path to full democracy once it signs the
Asean Charter.
The
President made the statement in her bilateral meetings
with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Myanmar
Prime Minister Thein Sein, and during the informal
working dinner with Asean leaders.
The
President also reiterated her call for the release of
the Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Myanmar, and
the "full and free participation of political parties,
including the National League for Democracy, in the
political process and for the return of democracy" in
that country.
"The
expectation of the Philippines is that if Myanmar signs
the Charter, it is committed to returning to the path of
democracy and release Aung San Suu Kyi. Until the
Philippine Congress sees that happen, it would have
extreme difficulty in ratifying the Asean Charter," she
said in a statement after the meeting.
She said
that it is her belief, as well as that of the Filipino
people and Congress, "that those who sign the Charter
agree to the objective, spirit and intent of
establishing a human rights body–the full protection of
human rights within Asean."
The
Philippines had lobbied for the creation of the Asean
human rights body under the Charter.
Press
Secretary Ignacio Bunye said that the Myanmar Prime
Minister responded to the President by "trying to ask
for understanding."
"According to him, although they are a former
democracy...they say they are new to democracy, and it
would take time to explain this to the Myanmar people,"
Bunye said.
Bunye
also said that the President does not support any "non-Asean"
calls for economic sanctions against Myanmar and favors
a UN solution to the crisis or the "Gambari formula."
Bunye
said that the Prime Minister told the President that his
government is observing a seven-point process, and that
by December, it will embark on the third point of the
process, which is draft a Constitution.
As such,
the Prime Minister told Mrs. Arroyo, it "may take some
time" to take the road to full democracy but "the
President reiterated her stand that this would be
accelerated," Bunye said.
In all
three events, the President said that she welcomes
Gambari's visit to Myanmar and expressed support for a
"greater role of the UN on the issue of Myanmar."
"We have
not supported the proposals of non-Asean countries that
could undermine the crucial role of the UN," the
President said.
She said
that resolutions in the Philippine Congress "strongly
support this position and give greater mandate for me to
continue with this advocacy."
The
President and the Myanmar Prime Minister met for 30
minutes, Bunye said.
Prior to
Mrs. Arroyo, the Myanmar Prime Minister had bilateral
talks with his counterparts from host Singapore and
Indonesia. |
