The Myanmar crisis dominates divided ASEAN foreign ministers meeting...

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Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are meeting in Indonesia on Tuesday for talks expected to be dominated by the Myanmar crisis, a member of this regional bloc, amidst divisions over the reactivation of the participation of the ruling military junta that overthrew civilian authority in this troubled country.

The ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting, which lasts for two days, will be followed by discussions with Beijing, Washington, and other powers, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken seeks to push back against China's assertion of sovereignty over the South China Sea.

Myanmar has been experiencing deadly violence since the coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's government over two years ago and launched a brutal crackdown on the opposition.

These divisions were evident in a draft joint statement seen by Agence France-Presse, which left the section related to Myanmar blank, as ASEAN members failed to previously agree on a unified stance.

A diplomat from one Southeast Asian country told Agence France-Presse that "the paragraph is still under discussion... member states are still taking their time to propose their suggestions."

The last time an ASEAN summit failed to issue a joint statement was over a decade ago in 2012 due to a dispute over wording regarding the South China Sea.

The diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said ASEAN members had made "extra efforts" in the days leading up to the meeting, in preparation for a leaders' summit in September to unify the bloc on the issue of Myanmar.

However, the official expressed "not much optimism" about the success of this endeavor, noting that "a few members have different views on how to deal with the problem."

Myanmar remains a member of ASEAN, but its participation in high-level meetings has been suspended due to the military junta's failure to implement a previously agreed-upon five-point plan two years ago to end the violence and resume negotiations.

ASEAN's efforts to kick-start the plan have yielded no results, as the military junta has ignored criticism and refused to engage with its opponents.

On the other hand, Thailand hosted "informal talks" with the military authorities' foreign minister last month, which sparked controversy and deepened divisions among ASEAN members.

Cambodia sent an assistant diplomat, while Malaysia and Indonesia skipped the meeting.

Clearer Plan -

ASEAN is constrained by its own charter, which imposes consensus and non-interference, but analysts say this meeting may push members to make further efforts.

Lina Alexandra of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta told Agence France-Presse, "It is hoped that there will be a more explicit implementation plan for what ASEAN will do in the future."

As the meeting opened, Human Rights Watch urged Indonesia, which is chairing the bloc, and its members and allies to "form a coalition of concerned governments... to increase pressure on the military junta" regarding its human rights violations.

On Thursday, a ministerial meeting of the "ASEAN Plus Three" bloc, which brings together ASEAN countries with Japan, South Korea, and China, is scheduled to take place, followed by a Friday meeting of the "East Asia Summit" foreign ministers, which includes 18 countries with the participation of Washington and Beijing.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to attend the latter meeting, where he will once again be in the same room as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after a brief encounter in March, amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Washington and ASEAN members will seek to "push back" against Beijing's behavior in the disputed South China Sea, according to Daniel Kritenbrink, a senior US diplomat for East Asian affairs, speaking to reporters on Saturday.

China asserts its sovereignty over the strategic waterway despite protests from several ASEAN members calling for unhindered navigation and respect for their sovereignty claims.

The draft joint statement of ASEAN called for restraint in the waterway and stated that there is "positive momentum" in talks on a code of conduct.

The statement read, "We reiterated the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation in and above the South China Sea."

AFP