UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had Southeast Asia's premier diplomatic grouping in sight when he released a press statement on Burma, one of its member countries, at the sidelines of the just-concluded International Aids Conference.

Annan's statement, released after he met Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, expressed concern about the slow progress in bringing democracy to the country and freeing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi despite supposed efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to bring about political change.

Since the UN chief was in Thailand for the 15th International Aids Conference, which ended on July 16, and in the proximity of Burma - it was an opportune moment for him to draw attention to the country ruled by a military government accused of gross human rights abuses, including the forcible relocation of civilians and the widespread use of forced labour.

Asean's members are Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Burma joined the club in 1997 despite misgivings by some governments and activists in and out of the region, but Asean countries said membership would allow their 'constructive engagement' policy to slowly encourage Rangoon to open up its political system.

'Engage constructively'

"In his discussions with the Thai leaders, the secretary-general underscored the role and responsibility of the countries of the (Asean) region in helping to accelerate the process of democratisation and national reconciliation in Myanmar, beginning with the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,'' said the UN statement.

The statement added that the UN secretary-general stressed "the need to engage constructively'' with Burma's ruling junta, called the State Peace and Development Council.

But it was the UN special human rights envoy to Burma, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, who pointed out the problems the world body was facing with the Burmese junta when he spoke to reporters in London - two days after the secretary general's statement was released from the Thai capital.

''I am not saying they have closed the door, but it is not as open as it had been until very recently,'' he said.

Pinheiro was due to visit Burma at the end of May, just before a national convention to discuss a new constitution for Burma opened in Rangoon, but was refused entry by Rangoon.

''They (the junta) have not given any reasons. Nobody knows why there has been this sudden change,'' Pinheiro said, while pointing out that since his appointment in 2001 he had been granted access to Burma seven times.

The UN envoy is due to table a new report on Burma to the UN General Assembly soon. He had hoped to meet Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt and other government ministers, pro-democracy leaders, including Suu Kyi and representatives of the ethnic minorities.

In a quandary?

But is the non-response to the United Nations an indication that the Burmese junta is in a quandary because of increasing pressure from both fronts - Asean and the international community?

Yes, says Debbie Stothard, of the regional human rights lobby Alternative Asean Network on Burma (Altsean). ''The junta is grasping in some way to try to reduce international pressure on them. Since it's coming from all fronts, they are confused,'' Stothard told IPS.

''Annan's statement was well-timed and it was a polite way of telling Asean to keep up the pressure,'' she pointed out. ''But this confusion has also led them to not respond to the United Nations,'' added the lobbyist.

In August last year, military rulers in Burma announced what they called a road map towards democracy.

In a policy speech, the newly appointed prime minister, Gen Khin Nyunt, said the government would restart a national convention to draw up a new constitution which would lead to free and fair elections in the country.

But credibility of the national convention, which began on May 17, has been criticised by the international community because of the absence of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD).

The NLD has refused to take part due in the convention because of Suu Kyi's continued detention by the junta.

The Burmese generals have pressed ahead with the convention, saying that the event was a historic step towards democracy and remain adamant about Suu Kyi - preferring her to be under house arrest than being free for fear that she might stir unrest against the junta.

This has caused embarrassment to Asean as it prepares for the bi-annual joint Asian-European summit in October. Due to be held in Vietnam's capital Hanoi, the summit aims to forge closer economic and political ties between the two continents.

Trade with EU at stake

The European Union has put it bluntly that Burma's entry to the summit would not be acceptable to the EU, which has imposed numerous economic and political sanctions on the country over its
poor human rights record.

The EU is insisting that Suu Kyi be released from house arrest by the ruling military junta and Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot reiterated recently that ''we (EU) haven't seen much progress (on Burma)." The Netherlands currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency.

Asean countries like Malaysia and Thailand are keen that the Asia-Europe summit takes place as scheduled, because at stake will be trade with the European Union.

In 2002, the EU was Asean's second largest export market and the third largest trading partner after the United States and Japan.

In that year, EU exports to Asean were estimated at 30 billion euros (US$37 billion) while EU imports from Asean were valued at 62 billion euros (US$76.5 billion).

''There's much at stake for Asean as a whole and now the regional grouping has come to the realisation that Burma, an insignificant international trading partner, cannot be a millstone around its neck,'' Altsean's Stothard pointed out.

Malaysia's new ambassador to France, Hamidah Mohamed Yusoff, said her country together with Asean, would be better positioned to support Burma's inclusion into the Asia-Europe summit if Rangoon ''is a bit more accommodating in initiating democratic reforms as well as freeing (Aung San) Suu Kyi.''

"We hope the Myanmar authorities will let up and do something as regards these issues raised by the EU, Hamidah told the national news agency Bernama early this week.

''That will make it easier for us to support Myanmar,'' she added. - IPS