ASEAN ministers urge Myanmar junta to implement agreed peace plan

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Feb 2023 08:28

Jakarta proposes an implementation plan to ASEAN for the "five-point consensus" agreed upon with Myanmar's junta in 2021.

ASEAN foreign ministers pose for group photos at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, February 3, 2023. (Reuters)

Southeast Asian ministers at the end of two-day talks in Indonesia on Saturday urged Myanmar's junta to implement a five-point peace plan agreed upon two years ago to create a path toward ending the country's political crisis.

Indonesia -- Southeast Asia's biggest economy -- is the chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2023 and will host the bloc's annual leaders' meetings later this year.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Jakarta proposed an implementation plan to ASEAN members for the "five-point consensus" (5PC) agreed with the junta in April 2021 that called for an end to violence and for dialogue between the military and rebels.

"Broad support was received from all member states to this plan," she told reporters at the end of talks, without providing details of when and how they hoped the agreement would be implemented.

The Indonesian Minister stressed that "this plan is very important for ASEAN, in particular the chair, as a guidance to address the situation in Myanmar in a united manner. It shows a strong unity of ASEAN members to implement the 5PC."

The junta remains an ASEAN member, but the bloc barred it from top-level summits over its failure to implement the peace plan. Myanmar's Foreign Minister Than Swe was not present at the ASEAN talks Friday, as the bloc only requested a "non-political representative" -- an offer rejected by the junta.

Jakarta has announced plans to set up a special envoy's office under the Foreign Ministry to establish a low-level dialogue with the junta.