DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA: ASEAN EFFORTS TO PROMOTE

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 000657

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MLS - COPE AND EUR/AGS - SAINT-ANDRE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2017
TAGS: PREL PHUM BM EUN AU
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA: ASEAN EFFORTS TO PROMOTE
DEMOCRATIC REFORM IN BURMA

REF: STATE 29795

Classified By: Economic-Political Counselor Gregory E. Phillips


1. (SBU) EconPolCouns delivered reftel demarche on March 16
to Austrian MFA Asia Director Nikolaus Scherk.


2. (C) Scherk said there had been some sentiment among the
Asians to avoid an explicit reference to Burma/Myanmar in the
chairman's statement concluding the March 14-15 Nuremberg
EU-ASEAN Ministerial. However, he said, the German chair had
insisted that the chairman's statement be an accurate
reflection of the discussion. The Germans added that the
chairman's statement was not a negotiated document in any
event. As a result, the chairman's statement included
pointed language on Burma.


2. (C) Scherk said he found it interesting that none of the
ASEAN countries defended Burma during the discussion. Even
the Chinese, who in the past might have said that the
situation in Burma was off-limits to discussion as an
internal matter, did not do so on this occasion, Instead,
the Chinese only asked that the Burmese Foreign Minister have
an opportunity to respond. Scherk said the Burmese statement
only rehearsed arguments about how difficult it was to manage
tensions in a multi-ethnic state.


3. (C) In general, Scherk said the EU-ASEAN meetings are
"getting better and better." He said the discussions were
lively and full of real content. There were significant
points of convergence, although on some issues (notably the
Middle East) there was less agreement than on others (such as
Afghanistan).
McCaw