SE Asian countries close ranks on Myanmar

CEBU, Philippines, Jan 11 (Reuters) Southeast Asian countries today urged Myanmar to restore democracy but shrank from supporting a US-move to escalate pressure on their neighbour at the United Nations.

Myanmar has been a thorn in the side of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) for years but the group has shied away from publicly slamming one of its own due to a long-held principle of non-interference in domestic affairs.

Foreign ministers at ASEAN's annual summit in the Philippines asked their counterpart from Myanmar to speed up the democratic process and release political prisoners but signalled that the United Nations did not need to reprimand the repressive regime.

''We recognised there's a problem in Myanmar but we don't believe it's a threat to regional security,'' said one Malaysian official after ministers held talks on the central resort island of Cebu.

Myanmar's foreign minister, Nyan Win, asked ASEAN members yesterday night to help block a US draft resolution at the UN, which would put global pressure on its military junta.

Earlier this week, Indonesia, a current member of the UN council, said Myanmar should not invoke ASEAN solidarity but Thailand's foreign minister said yesterday ASEAN would stick to its traditional policy of ''constructive engagement'' with the junta.

Regional security took centre stage in later meetings between the Chinese and Southeast Asian foreign ministers, when they agreed that six-party talks on containing North Korea's nuclear ambitions should resume as quickly as possible.

The ministers were meeting ahead of discussions among the leaders of China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand and ASEAN chiefs on January 13-15.

THREATS Security was tight in Cebu, the Philippines' second city, after a trio of bombings last night, hundreds of miles to the south of the venue, killed eight people.

Organisers insisted there was no threat to the summit but the Australian government repeated earlier warnings that militants could attack either Cebu or cities in the south, where Muslim and communist rebels are fighting government forces.

The Philippines, which holds ASEAN's rotating chairmanship, postponed the original summit in December, ostensibly due to a typhoon. Western countries had talked of terrorist plots against the talks.

Counter-terrorism will take centre stage on Saturday, when ASEAN leaders ink a declaration clamping down on the unregulated movement of militants and arms across the region's porous borders.

In their meeting with China's foreign minister, Li Zhaoxing, Southeast Asian ministers said ASEAN and Beijing should sign a binding code of conduct in the South China Sea to avoid conflict in the disputed region.

A Filipino diplomat said China was open to the idea but no firm agreement was made.

ASEAN's failure to nudge Myanmar to reform has encouraged the organisation to consider softening its golden rule on non-interference when its leaders meet on Saturday.

Myanmar's military ruler, Than Shwe, will not attend. The general was also a no-show at last year's summit.

The Southeast Asian leaders will consider recommendations for drafting a charter for the organisation this year that will include sanctions for members who violate the group's policies.

Foreign ministers fully endorsed the recommendations, drafted last month by an ''Eminent Persons Group'' of former ministers and leaders.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- countries that span the economic and political spectrum.

Reuters SP DB1304