EU team heads to Myanmar to test political waters

BRUSSELS - A HIGH-LEVEL European Union team is heading to Myanmar for exploratory talks with the country's new authorities, a senior EU diplomat said on Friday.

'This is a first stage aimed at listening to the new Myanmar authorities to gauge their mindset,' the diplomat said. 'All partners concerned by Myanmar have sent, or will be sending, missions to test the new authorities.'


Robert Cooper, special adviser to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, and EU special envoy for Burma-Myanmar Piero Fassino, could be in Myanmar as early as this weekend, another EU source said.

Myanmar's military junta handed over power in March to a nominally civilian government. That and the release last year of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi after the first election in 20 years sparked cautious hopes of gradual reform in Myanmar, ruled by the military for nearly half a century.

In April, European governments extended by a year a set of trade and financial sanctions on Myanmar - but opened the door to the Myanmar foreign minister as an inducement to accelerate change.

The United Nations this week announced that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon would soon name a full-time special envoy to Myanmar to encourage the government on the reform path. -- AFP

Source:http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_680898.html

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