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ASEAN Members to Hold Informal Meeting on Burma


Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are heading to the Philippines for an informal meeting Sunday, amid growing internal opposition over Burma's chairmanship of ASEAN.

The foreign ministers of Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore have urged Burma to implement democratic reforms or risk losing its turn at the ASEAN chairmanship.

Cambodian officials have opposed any move to block Burma from the chair, saying it would violate ASEAN's policy of non-interference.

Burma's ruler Senior General Than Shwe
Sunday's scheduled meeting follows comments made Friday by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, urging Burma to set a timetable for its "roadmap to democracy" laid out in 2003.

The United States and the European Union have threatened to boycott further ASEAN meetings if Burma takes the chair before enacting political reforms.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.

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