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EU urged not to raise HR, labour issues at Bangkok summit
BANGKOK, Feb 18: Asian countries have given the European Unioh a clear warning to forget sensitive human rights and labour issues at their first summit early next month and some Europeans look set to oblige, reports Reuter.
Ine March 1-2 summit in Bangkok will concentrate on ways to strengthen trade and Investment links between the two regions but it will also covfn political matters including reform of the United Nations *and nuclear disarmament.
Asian officials say they will not wvl<-<>:»i (hr raising of "controversial and irrelevant" topics and will reject any attempt to link trade with rights or labour standards.
"People may bring up con-
tentious issues, we will Just tell them we don't want to discuss them, that there are other forums for discussing them." Malaysian Trade Minister Rafi-dah Aziz told reporters last week.
Attending the summit with the 15 EU members will be the seven members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) — Brunei. Indonesia. Malaysia, the Philippines. Singapore. Thailand and Vietnam — as well as China, Japan and South Korea.
Indonesian Forejgn Minister All Alatas told a recent news conference that the Bangkok summit should avoid "matters which are not relevant or controversial because if this happens the first historic meeting will be threatened
with failure."
Some Europeans agree. saying trade and Investment should be at the top of the agenda and controversy should be left out.
The French agree in full with the view." French Foreign Minister Herve De Charette said in response to Alatas warning.
President Jacques Chirac has since taking office sought to make France 'more present in Asia" and is pushing French companies to build closer economic ties with the region
Chirac wants the summit to
■tress the positive aspects of Eartnershfp and avoid issues ound to on end Aslan nations.
his aides said
Diplomats in Paris told Reuters this may be partly be
cause France hoped to avoid being the bull of Asian criticism over its recently con eluded series of underground nuclear weapons tests in the South Pacific.
France has in the past supported the inclusion otvsome kind of social clause in trade agreements to protect European countries from what it sees as unfair competition from states that use child oi prison labour, or deny their workers basic rights
But French and other European officials said the first summit between the two re Kins should not lie dominated such issues "Obviously Denmark and other El member states will want to bring up certain hu man rights issues but I am not
certain that the Bangkok summit is a suitable forum for such topics. t\ Danish Foreign Ministry" official told Reuter*.
"Economic and trade questions between the EU and Asia will be Uppermost on the agenda." said the official who declined to be identified.
The Asians are not going to get everything their own way. however Portugal sal's it will raise the issue of East Timor
There have been persistent allegations of human rights vlo latlons by Indonesian security forces ever international fo-rum But how it will t>e done will lie. decided by the prime minister when he gets there.' Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres spokesman David Damlao told Reuters