NUSA DUA (Indonesia): Myanmar remains a thorn in Asia-Europe relations despite an unprecedented agreement demanding that the country’s military rulers free democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of foreign ministers that ended on Thursday in Bali urged the junta to “immediately release” the Nobel peace laureate and resume efforts towards national reconciliation and democracy.

For the first time ASEM has emerged with a “common document” effectively criticising Myanmar, noted Franco Frattini, the foreign minister of Italy which is the current EU president. “It was not easy before this meeting.”

Myanmar’s reluctance to allow political freedoms has dogged relations between the two regions since the impoverished state joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1997.

The West had cautioned ASEAN at that time not to include Myanmar until it embraces democracy but the grouping felt it could encourage change from within the grouping.

ASEAN is a key component of ASEM, a forum for consultations on key issues. But Myanmar and two other newer ASEAN states Cambodia and Laos are not ASEM members.

Much to the chagrin of the Asians, the European side — citing Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention — allegedly reneged on a deal to agree at the Bali meeting to admit Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos to ASEM.

“This broke a gentleman’s agreement to bring the whole ASEAN family into ASEM. Now it is going to be difficult for the Asians to allow the 10 prospective EU (European Union) members into ASEM,” said an Asian minister.

The 10 nations are scheduled to join the EU in the middle of 2004.

The debate over Myanmar will also divert the attention of the two regions from the larger objective of improving political and economic relations.

One European minister explained that his side had to block the entry into ASEM of Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos to ease concerns at home over the imprisonment of Aung San Suu Kyi.

A European proposal to convene a special session on Myanmar at the ASEM talks was blocked by the Asians, who also rejected a suggestion to invite UN special envoy to Myanmar, Razali Ismail, to the meeting to brief them on the progress of his negotiations with the junta.

Razali is the only independent person to have met Aung San Suu Kyi since she was taken into “protective custody” on May 30 after her supporters were ambushed by a pro-junta gang during a tour of the country’s north.

The international community has responded angrily, with the US and EU beefing up sanctions.

ASEAN issued an unprecedented call for her release, breaking a principle in its charter that member states should not interfere in each other’s domestic affairs.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned last week that Myanmar could face expulsion from ASEAN as a last resort.—AFP