The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) should deny Burma its turn as the group's chairman if diplomatic efforts fail to persuade it to withdraw, regional lawmakers said today.

Asean foreign ministers arriving in the Lao capital Vientiane for annual talks Monday are trying to find a face-saving way for military-ruled Burma to give up the 2006 chairmanship, diplomats said.

The Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on Democracy in Myanmar (Burma) said that over the past few months Asean members had worked hard to persuade Burma to voluntarily defer the position until it achieves genuine reforms.

But it said that although Burma's ruling junta was widely expected to announce a deferral at the Vientiane talks, "there have been no real indicators that the Yangon authorities are inclined to do so".

"It is possible that the Myanmar authorities will flout Asean concerns and attempt to put off the question of the 2006 chair until the Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur this December," it said in a statement.

"If Myanmar refuses to accede to Asean's polite diplomacy, we urge Asean to take the initiative to deny Myanmar the chair."

Moral obligation

The group said Asean was "morally obligated" to take a stand, or risk smearing the reputation of the entire region.

And it added that even if Burma did waive its turn to lead the regional block, pressure on it to move towards democracy must not waver.

"They must still fulfill their promises made to Asean on the commencement of genuine political reforms, including national reconciliation with ethnic groups and the release of political prisoners including... Aung San Suu Kyi."

The lawmakers said Burma should defer its chairmanship for one year, on the condition that it presents a reform timetable.

"Allowing Myanmar to assume the chairmanship will essentially be a validation of their tradition of broken promises, thus reducing the leverage Asean has with Myanmar," it said.

Leaders from the 10-nation grouping have said that Burma cannot be blocked from assuming the chair, but it is under intense pressure to do so voluntarily to avoid embarrassing its neighbours.

With Burma at the helm, taking over from Malaysia which assumes the role this year, the United States and European Union would probably boycott key meetings with the grouping.