Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Burma should decide whether or not to skip the chairmanship of Asean in 2006 amid growing pressure for the military-ruled government to forego it.

"We want Yangon to make its own decision on the matter after taking into account the views expressed," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

Syed Hamid said members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) would discuss the issue with Burma during the bloc's ministerial meeting in Vientiane, Laos, in July adding that Rangoon was aware of Asean's and the international community's view on the issue.

"The July meeting will be the right forum to discuss the issue again with Myanmar (Burma). I believe the situation will be clear at the meeting," he said. Malaysia's takes over the chair at year end.

Parliamentarians in several countries in the 10-member Asean have urged their governments to block Burma from assuming the rotating Asean chair in 2006 because of Rangoon's lack of democratic reforms.

Potential limitations

US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick recently welcomed regional efforts to get Burma to reform but warned of "severe limitations" on US-Asean relations if the military-ruled state chaired the grouping.

The European Parliament called Thursday for a boycott of Asean if Burma assumes its rotating presidency next year.

The parliamentarians listed a series of human rights abuses by the military regime, included forced labour, torture, political persecution, the enrolment of child soldiers and "ethnic cleansing."

Last month Rangoon turned down international calls to renounce its presidency because of its human rights abuses and refusal to introduce democracy.

Asean groups Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.