The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Monday abruptly called off a scheduled address by UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari at a regional summit in Singapore after Myanmar objected to the presentation, according to DPA. The 10-member ASEAN, however, told notorious member Myanmar that it has to democratize especially after it signs the regional group's landmark charter on Tuesday. The leaders called on Myanmar's military junta to open up "meaningful dialogue" with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, lift restrictions on Suu Kyi and release all political detainees, and work towards a "peaceful transition to democracy." Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was one of those leaders who told Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein that the military junta must implement democratic reforms after signing the ASEAN charter. Gambari was supposed to brief ASEAN and East Asian leaders on the progress of his mission in Myanmar, two months after a violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Yangon left 15 killed and thousands arrested.
