Asean calls for Suu Kyi release

The 10 foreign ministers held their annual Asean meeting in Cambodia

A South East Asian regional forum have asked member state Burma to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

In a joint statement issued at the end of their two-day annual conference in Phnom Penh, foreign ministers from the 10 member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) said they "looked forward to the early lifting of restrictions placed on Aung San Suu Kyi".

The statement is an unusual departure from Asean's policy of non-interference in member-states' internal affairs.

The forum has hitherto held the view that the way of conducting diplomacy should be quiet and non-confrontational.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, who chaired the talks, said Asean's ability to discuss the internal issues of a member country was "a step forward in the relations between Asean members".

AUNG SAN SUU KYI

1990: National League for Democracy (NLD) wins general election while Suu Kyi under house arrest; military does not recognise the result

1991: Wins Nobel Peace Prize

1995: Released from house arrest, but movements restricted

2000-02: Second period of house arrest

May 2003: Detained after clash between NLD and government forces

Full profile

The Asean statement comes amid mounting international condemnation of Burma, following the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) after their convoy was attacked in Northern Burma at the end of May.

The BBC's Jonathan Head, who was at the meeting in Phnom Penh, said the wording of the Asean statement may have been restrained and polite, but there was no mistaking the change of tone.

He also said that the language behind the scenes at the forum was much stronger than the statement itself.

But there has still been no mention of any punitive measures, despite the fact that both the United States and Europe have tightened sanctions in response to Aung San Suu Kyi's arrest.

There are, however, signs that Burma, also known as Myanmar, is listening to international opinion.

The International Red Cross said on Tuesday that the military regime had promised to allow access to detained NLD members, although whether this includes Aung San Suu Kyi herself remains unclear.

The move may signal a recognition by the ruling Burmese ruling generals that while they may not want to talk to Aung San Suu Kyi, they cannot simply leave matters as they are, our correspondent says.

Security concerns

While the two-day meeting was mostly dominated by the situation in Burma, Asean's agenda also included terrorism - an issue highlighted by the arrest of suspected Islamic militants in both Cambodia and Thailand in recent weeks.

Asean member states

Brunei

Burma

Cambodia

Indonesia

Laos

Malaysia

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam

In a joint statement, the Asean members said they would liaise closely to carry out specific regional agreements in the fight against terrorism.

Another issue discussed during the conference was the ongoing nuclear standoff with North Korea.

"We reaffirmed our conviction that a nuclear weapons-free Korea and a peaceful resolution of the current tensions through dialogue and negotiations would be a valuable contribution to the prospects of peace and stability in East Asia," the Asean delegates said in a statement.

Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions will also be among topics to be discussed on Wednesday, when Asean foreign ministers meet other Asian and Western ministers - including US Secretary of State Colin Powell - for the 23-member Asean Regional Forum.

The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan are also due to hold separate talks later on Tuesday on the issue of North Korea's nuclear capability.