ASEAN chair urges unity as top diplomats meet amid Myanmar discord

ASEAN chair Indonesia on Tuesday stressed the importance of the regional bloc’s unity in remaining credible, as its foreign ministers started talks expected to touch on the thorny issue of engaging Myanmar’s ostracised ruling generals.
The meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Jakarta comes as doubts grow over ASEAN’s effectiveness, with some disagreement over how to approach a bloody conflict in Myanmar and the junta’s failure to implement an agreed ASEAN peace plan.
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi made no direct mention of Myanmar in her opening remarks at Tuesday’s plenary session, but said ASEAN “can only matter if it has credibility”.