But not this time. At the foreign ministers' conclave that commenced on July 23 in Singapore, the refrain was much perkier, with speaker after speaker reasserting the association's unity and looking with cautious optimism to the new millennium. They are, but there remain outstanding problems and divisions. So there were cautionary voices amid the glee-talk and none more so than the ever pragmatic Singapore hosts. Our nascent recovery can be easily derailed.
Many internal weaknesses remain.
His words could form a testament to the regional body as this century closes. Still, the participants were determined to put a positive spin on the proceedings. The ministers also sought, somewhat less successfully, to bolster their cohesion by reiterating fealty to the principle of non-interference in each other's affairs. With that diversity, if you start advocating interference you are going to break up the group. On Myanmar itself, the group stood united in insisting that no meeting with the European Union could take place if, as the E.U. had earlier demanded, Myanmar was excluded.