(Reuters)
MANILA, Nov 15 – Southeast Asian leaders said on Sunday they may consider gradually restoring Myanmar’s full political representation in the regional bloc, if the country makes progress on their longstanding plan to resolve its five-year-old crisis.
Leaders of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed at a summit in Manila to maintain their policy of excluding Myanmar from full political representation at ASEAN summits and foreign ministers’ meetings for now.
But they said they had agreed to pursue a “calibrated engagement” through a “phased and progress-based” approach, if Myanmar makes “sustained and concrete” progress on the bloc’s proposed plan, known as the five-point consensus, or 5PC.
And in a notable step, the bloc also appeared to endorse bilateral outreach to Myanmar among its member countries.
Thailand and several other ASEAN members have stepped up engagement with Myanmar in recent months, creating new pressure on the bloc to ease its ban on Myanmar’s military-backed leaders attending its high-level meetings.
“Subject to sustained and concrete progress in the implementation of the 5PC by Myanmar, ASEAN may consider the gradual restoration of Myanmar’s full political representation,” the leaders said in a joint decision adopted at the summit.
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