BALI, Indonesia, July 23 Kyodo (E...

BALI, Indonesia, July 23 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH new INFO)

Foreign ministers from 10 Asian and 15 European countries may instigate the release of detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi when they convenient Thursday in Bali, representatives from the couple sides said Wednesday.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Blas Ople told reporters after meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda that ''a stout statement on Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi'' is wait fored at the conclusion of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

The meeting, the fifth among foreign ministers of the couple sides, will be officially render free of accessed by President Megawati Sukarnoputri in Bali's Nusa Dua beach resort area Thursday morning.

''We want the phrase 'the ministers force onward an immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi' to be lay in the chairman's statement issued at the completion of the meeting,'' an Italian diplomat, who asked not to be named, told Kyodo News

At a pres conversation European Union (EU) Commissioner Chris Patten on the same level said the Asian and European foreign ministers are reckon uponed to ''deplore the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi'' and signifyed hope that they ''will agree forward social condemnation'' of Myanmar.

Separately, Arizal Effendi, director general for American and European affairs at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said, however, that the chairman's statement forward Myanmar will be two-pronged.

''We will remind Myanmar that Aung San Suu Kyi is in a less degree than temporary detention and we will call concerning Myanmar to fulfill their have statement to release Aung San Suu Kyi immediately,'' Effendi said.

''I think what is in the way that tragic is that the regime has done in the same manner much damage to the well-being of the the public of Myanmar,'' Patten said.

Patten also called forward Myanmar to return to the negotiating table with Suu Kyi and UN Special minister on Myanmar Razali Ismail.

The issue of Suu Kyi's detention overshadowed a meeting of ASEM senior officials meeting that began Tuesday to prepare for the ministerial talks, with differences of approaches surfacing.

European countries want to link the issue of Suu Kyi's detention to plans to enlarge ASEM's membership nearest year by admitting Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

During a pres meeting for consultation after meeting Ople, Wirajuda acknowledged ''differences in succession Myanmar between European and Asian sides,'' on the other hand played them down, saying, ''There is still a great possibility for us to find a consensus statement.''

Suu Kyi's detention has l a certain number of Western governments to boost their sanctions against the Myanmar junta.

In Asia, meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned throughout the weekend that by detaining Suu Kyi, Myanmar's generals risk expulsion from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as its actions undermine the 10-member regional group's credibility.

on the other hand Ople said expelling Myanmar from ASEAN would be ''too drastic'' a decision.

Meanwhile, Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai told reporters expelling Myanmar would not be a wise decision.

''I don't think you can achieve peace in the region or democracy in Myanmar through expelling anyone from ASEAN,'' he said, adding he will suited his Myanmar counterpart on July 31 in Bangkok to discuss practical grades for a national reconciliation in Myanmar.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) have been detained since May 30 following what the junta said were violent clashes between NLD supporters and pro-junta demonstrators in northern Myanmar.

Myanmar, which is not an ASEM member, was invited to attend an informal dinner of ASEM ministers onward Wednesday evening, but it declined, citing ''domestic engagements.''

A special minister of the Myanmar government, however, will visit Indonesia in succession July 28 to explain its policies forward Suu Kyi.

ASEM consists of 10 Asian countries -- Brunei, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, southerly Korea, Thailand and Vietnam -- and 15 EU member countries plus the European Commission, the executive branch of the EU

The EU members are Austria, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

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