US Confident In Asean's Efforts To Resolve Myanmar Crisis

KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 (Bernama) -- The United States (US) is confident in the work that ASEAN is putting in to help resolve the political crisis in Myanmar, said Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman. She said the US also supported ASEAN’s five-point consensus, noting that while all parties have wanted success in the engagements, diplomacy needs to take the time to make sure all parties concerned are involved in order to proceed forward and reach success. “We know that ASEAN is consulting with all in the region as they proceed, wanting to be successful in their engagement. “The plan calls for them to be in contact with the military leaders in Burma as well as all parties, including democratic parties in Burma. We hope, of course, that happens as soon as possible,” she said in a teleconference briefing with media of Asia, from Bangkok, on Wednesday. Following a coup by Myanmar’s military on Feb 1, ASEAN leaders had unanimously came up with five-point consensus after a meeting on April 24 at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. The consensus called for immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar and for all parties to exercise utmost restraint, to commence constructive dialogue among all parties concerned to seek a peaceful solution in the interests of the people. It also called for a special envoy to be appointed to facilitate mediation of the dialogue process as well as to visit Myanmar to meet with all parties concerned. Sherman said the issue of Myanmar was also brought up in her meetings during her tour in this region, where she had also visited Indonesia and Cambodia, adding that “there is no time to wait as we all face a brutal humanitarian crisis for the people of Burma”. “I also continued to urge immediate action to end the humanitarian crisis in Burma and underscored the need to push the military regime to end violence, release those unjustly detained, and restore Burma to its path to democracy,” she said. She said not only are the people in Myanmar facing the COVID-19 crisis, the civilians also face attacks and threat from the military regime. “And there is a great humanitarian crisis unfolding, indeed, on the way to a failed state, and that means the most for the people of Burma who wish to live their lives in freedom,” she said. She also thanked ASEAN and the international community for the stalwart support for the people in Myanmar to have the democratic future they have worked so hard for. “As I noted, we believe in ASEAN centrality, and the action that ASEAN took in unanimously agreeing to a five-point consensus plan is really quite unusual in ASEAN’s history. “So, we are confident that things will proceed forward, and we are confident that the international community supports the work of ASEAN and will work with each other to bring whatever is necessary to bear to get the military regime to come to the table and acknowledge that Burma needs to get back on the path to the democratic future that its people have chosen,” she said. Sherman, who was on her first trip abroad since her appointment to the position in April, said one of the reasons for her trip was to reaffirm US’ commitment to ASEAN centrality, the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, and the international rules-based order besides the urgent need to address the crisis in Myanmar. She said during her visit to Indonesia, she had also participated in a roundtable with the ASEAN Secretariat and all 10 ASEAN permanent representatives. “In all of my meetings, I reaffirmed the United States’ deep commitment to the region, to the rules-based international order, to a free and open Indo-Pacific, and to human rights and democracy,” she said. To a question on whether the White House is opening the door for other countries to join the Quad, Sherman said that although the US views the Quad as an important regional organisation, it does not replace ASEAN. “It is complementary to ASEAN and it is a cooperative set of relationships to work on a variety of issues. I’m sure that we will develop partnerships all over the world in a variety of formats. What is important is what we are all trying to do, and what we are all trying to do is to make sure that there is economic, political, and military security for all within the rules-based order that we have all developed together. “That is our ambition and our commitment that is in keeping, obviously, with our values in the United States of openness, freedom of expression and assembly, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and a hope that all people can live in freedom,” she added. The Quad, an alliance of four members – US, India, Japan and Australia – is an informal strategic forum. -- BERNAMA