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WORLD NEWS Friday 11 March 2022
EU united on Ukraine, but won’t offer fast-track membership

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN other EU countries have an
and SYLVIE CORBET obligation to aid and assist
Associated Press it by all the means in their
VERSAILLES, France (AP) — power.
European Union leaders But specifically the Baltic
meeting in France Thursday nations, with their Soviet
ruled out fulfilling Ukraine’s past, want to reach out to
demand for a fast-track Ukraine.
integration with the bloc, “It’s also important to show
as they discussed ways to a clear open door for EU
help the eastern country membership for Ukraine,
that’s been invaded by that the path is open for
neighboring Russia. them to take and that we
EU nations have been fully as a family of democratic
united in backing Ukraine’s nations would want them,”
resistance, adopting un- said Latvian Prime Minis-
precedented economic ter Krisjanis Karins. “That’s
sanctions against Russia, very, very important for the
but leaders are divided Ukrainians right now as a
on how fast Brussels could very important signal.”
move to accept Ukraine as Leaders’ talks will also focus
a member, and how swiftly on how to wean the bloc
the 27-nation bloc could European Union leaders pose for a group photo at an EU summit at the Chateau de Versailles, in off its Russian energy de-
Versailles, west of Paris, Thursday, March 10, 2022.
sever energy ties with Mos- Associated Press pendency and bolster the
cow. region’s defense capabili-
Ukrainian President Volody- The Ukrainian fast-track bid “Can we open today a “We also have to take the ties. Possible new sanctions
myr Zelenskyy wants his has received warm support procedure of accession (to Western Balkan nations into against Russia and its ally
country to quickly join the in Eastern European coun- the EU) with a country at account, who sometimes Belarus including cutting all
EU, but an agreement tries, but EU officials have war? I don’t think so,” Ma- have been working for their banks from the SWIFT
on that point won’t be stressed the process could cron said. over a decade to become dominant system for global
achieved this week during take years, with unanimity “Shall we close the door merely a candidate nation financial transactions will
the two-day summit hosted among current members and say (to Ukraine): ‘Nev- for membership. Think of also be on the table.
in the palace of Versailles required to allow a new- er?’ That would be unfair.” Albania and Macedonia. “The energy sector is the
west of Paris. comer in the club. Upon his arrival at Versailles, Let’s see what we can do Kremlin’s main source of
At best, EU leaders are ex- French President Emman- Dutch Prime minister Mark in a practical sense.” income, some 600 million
pected to agree on lan- uel Macron said the EU Rutte said he told Zelenskyy Another key deterrent to euros a day,” Karins said.
guage supportive of the must send a “strong signal” that Ukraine’s EU accession a hasty decision which “If we were to stop the pur-
Ukrainian bid to join the Eu- of support for Ukraine, but can’t be sped up. Macron alluded to is the chase of Russian energy,
ropean family, but they will ruled out the possibility for “There isn’t something like specific EU treaty clause that would stop the fund-
stop short of going further the country to join the bloc a fast track, a fast proce- that if a member falls victim ing of the Russian military
into the process. any time soon. dure,” Rutte said. to armed aggression, the machine.”q

ASEAN members say summit with U.S. is being rescheduled

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia Indonesian officials said dates “were not conve- bloc and a chance to mark the ruling military council
(AP) — The Association of Thursday. nient for our leaders due 45 years of U.S.-ASEAN rela- of Myanmar has delayed
Southeast Asian Nations is Cambodian Foreign Min- to their respective heavy tions. There was no immedi- the plan’s implementation
seeking to reschedule a istry spokesperson Chum agenda.” Cambodia is this ate comment from Wash- even as the country has
summit meeting of its lead- Sounry explained in a state- year’s chair of the regional ington to the postpone- slipped into a situation that
ers with U.S. President Joe ment sent Thursday that grouping, known as ASEAN. ment announcements. some U.N. experts have de-
Biden, Cambodian and the proposed March 28-29 The dates, which had been ASEAN’s 10 members are scribed as civil war.
proposed by the U.S. for Brunei, Cambodia, In- Myanmar’s lack of cooper-
the special summit in Wash- donesia, Laos, Malaysia, ation led ASEAN last year to
ington, would not allow all Myanmar, the Philippines, bar its leader, Senior Gen.
heads of government to Singapore, Thailand and Min Aung Hlaing, from at-
attend, Indonesian Foreign Vietnam. tending its annual summit
Ministry spokesperson Teu- Its members have been at meeting, an unprecedent-
ku Faizasyah said Thursday odds with each other over ed step for the body. It has
in the Indonesian capital the crisis in Myanmar, which applied a similar policy
Jakarta. has been wracked by vio- for subsequent meetings,
He said that Indonesia, lent unrest since the army saying that it would allow
as coordinator for ASEAN ousted the elected govern- Myanmar to send only non-
with the United States, is still ment of Aung San Suu Kyi in political representatives.
seeking a suitable date for February last year. The deadlock over Myan-
all parties. ASEAN is seeking to imple- mar is almost unprecedent-
The White House last month ment a five-point plan for ed for the grouping, whose
Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn holds a press had announced the March Myanmar it reached last members have traditionally
conference after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 28-29 summit as an oppor- year stressing dialogue, hu- avoided public criticism of
(ASEAN) session of ASEAN foreign ministers’ retreat in Phnom tunity to demonstrate the manitarian assistance and each other and operated
Penh, Cambodia, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. U.S. commitment to the an end to violence. But by consensus.q
Associated Press