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ASEAN faces uphill battle in Myanmar: Minister
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has said the success of ASEAN’s recently appointed special envoy to Myanmar hinges on the junta regime's ability to keep their promise, particularly because of the regime’s “lack of commitment” to previous ASEAN demands.
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Protesters perform the three-finger salute during a poetry reading as part of a demonstration against Myanmar’s February military coup in Shwebo, central Myanmar, on April 14. (AFP/Handout/Facebook)
T
here are still “thousands of steps” to go in ASEAN’s efforts to solve the ongoing power struggle in Myanmar, Indonesia’s top diplomat said on Thursday, following the appointment of a special ASEAN envoy to the beleaguered country, a move that was roundly welcomed by regional powers and observers.
The foreign ministers of nine ASEAN member states and a representative of Myanmar’s military regime agreed this week to appoint Brunei’s Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof as ASEAN’s principal representative in Myanmar, tasked with mediating talks between the junta and opposing forces.
Member states had been awaiting the appointment since ASEAN leaders met in an emergency meeting in Jakarta in April to discuss the situation in Myanmar following the country’s February military coup. The junta seized power from a democratically elected government and used a violent crackdown to ward off mass protests and resistance from prodemocracy groups, killing nearly 1,000 people.
The special envoy must now race against the clock to find a peaceful solution for a country that is mired in political, economic and health crises.
But Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said success was only possible if Myanmar’s military rulers stick to their word, notably because of the regime’s “lack of commitment” to the demands ASEAN set out during the April meeting.
“On Aug. 3, Myanmar approved the proposal of ASEAN and the chair of ASEAN to appoint the foreign minister of Brunei as the special envoy. This is a good step, but there are still hundreds or thousands of steps to follow,” the minister said in a prerecorded statement on Thursday.
Read also: Brunei minister named ASEAN envoy to Myanmar
