ASEAN rebuffs EU's strong push for inclusion in E. Asia Summit

BRUSSELS, Oct. 4 (Kyodo) - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has rebuffed a strong push from the European Union to be included in the East Asia Summit, as Russia and the United States will from next year, in talks held to prepare for this week's summit of
Asian and European leaders, Asian diplomatic sources said Monday.
The sources said senior EU officials strongly pressed for European membership
in the EAS during a nearly 11-hour meeting Sunday of senior officials of
governments participating in the Asia-Europe Meeting, a one-and-a-half day
summit that began Monday in Brussels.
They pointed out that the 27-member European Union has longer ties of
cooperation with the 10-member ASEAN than do either Russia or the United
States, having been an informal dialogue partner of ASEAN since 1972.
ASEAN officials, however, objected to the proposed EU inclusion on grounds that
before EAS members can consider any further expansion of EAS membership beyond
Russia and the United States, they must first make efforts to consolidate the
new grouping.
In fact, source said, the EAS may impose a moratorium on new members after the
United States and Russia are admitted in July next year, over concerns that
expanding the EAS too rapidly could make it unwieldy and ineffective.
If such moratorium were to be imposed, it would affect the entry hopes of the
European Union and Canada.
One source said many ASEAN member states also worry that if the European Union
were to be included, it ''might then stir up the issues of human rights and
democracy'' to the chagrin of Asian members.
The European Union has long been the most vociferous in demanding that
countries like Myanmar mend their ways when it comes to human rights and
democracy.
The EAS currently comprises ASEAN members Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, plus
China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India.
The Asia-Europe Meeting, launched in 1996, is currently made up of 43 countries
-- the 27 EU and the 10 ASEAN members, plus China, Japan, South Korea, India,
Pakistan and Mongolia, with Australia, New Zealand and Russia to be admitted at
the summit as new members.