WASHINGTON — The nominee to be US pointman on Myanmar said Wednesday that Washington sought better ties with the military-backed regime but voiced concern at the prospect it would lead the ASEAN bloc.
Derek Mitchell, a veteran policymaker on Asia, was nominated to be the first US coordinator for policy on Myanmar as President Barack Obama's administration pursues an engagement drive with the country also known as Burma.
In his Senate confirmation hearing, Mitchell reiterated the administration's stance that it seeks a "positive relationship" with Myanmar but hoped that the regime would address key concerns such as human rights and lack of democracy.
Mitchell said he would seek to coordinate policy with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and gave one of the clearest signals yet of US opposition to Myanmar heading the economically dynamic 10-nation bloc.
"I think, frankly, where Burma is today," Mitchell said, "ASEAN recognizes that Burma is an outlier and is somewhat of an embarrassment."
"I think Burma has some work to do in order to make ASEAN nations comfortable with it, and the rest of the international community," Mitchell said.
ASEAN, which includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand among its members, is considering making Myanmar its chair in 2014. Previously, US officials have mostly declined to state opposition publicly, saying the decision on ASEAN's chairmanship is still a long way off.
The Obama administration in 2009 launched talks with Myanmar, concluding that the previous Western policy of isolating the state had been unsuccessful.
The nomination of Mitchell, now a senior official at the Pentagon, was seen as a signal that the administration hopes to remain active on Myanmar, even though it has stated repeatedly that it has been disappointed with the results of engagement so far.
ASEAN nations have called for a lifting of sanctions on Myanmar after it held elections last year. The United States and opposition groups have rejected a letup in pressure, saying that the political transition has been purely cosmetic.
Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5idyYxIcfHwSDYMGWh2Bmyd6itvGw?docId=CNG.3f90005700ea65e0b05509a135c7a3a8.c1
Derek Mitchell, a veteran policymaker on Asia, was nominated to be the first US coordinator for policy on Myanmar as President Barack Obama's administration pursues an engagement drive with the country also known as Burma.
In his Senate confirmation hearing, Mitchell reiterated the administration's stance that it seeks a "positive relationship" with Myanmar but hoped that the regime would address key concerns such as human rights and lack of democracy.
Mitchell said he would seek to coordinate policy with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and gave one of the clearest signals yet of US opposition to Myanmar heading the economically dynamic 10-nation bloc.
"I think, frankly, where Burma is today," Mitchell said, "ASEAN recognizes that Burma is an outlier and is somewhat of an embarrassment."
"I think Burma has some work to do in order to make ASEAN nations comfortable with it, and the rest of the international community," Mitchell said.
ASEAN, which includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand among its members, is considering making Myanmar its chair in 2014. Previously, US officials have mostly declined to state opposition publicly, saying the decision on ASEAN's chairmanship is still a long way off.
The Obama administration in 2009 launched talks with Myanmar, concluding that the previous Western policy of isolating the state had been unsuccessful.
The nomination of Mitchell, now a senior official at the Pentagon, was seen as a signal that the administration hopes to remain active on Myanmar, even though it has stated repeatedly that it has been disappointed with the results of engagement so far.
ASEAN nations have called for a lifting of sanctions on Myanmar after it held elections last year. The United States and opposition groups have rejected a letup in pressure, saying that the political transition has been purely cosmetic.
Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5idyYxIcfHwSDYMGWh2Bmyd6itvGw?docId=CNG.3f90005700ea65e0b05509a135c7a3a8.c1
Comments
Post a Comment