Eu-style bloc

Southeast Asian leaders adopted a landmark charter Tuesday that seeks to promote free trade and human rights, but their vision to create an integrated, EU-style bloc is being marred by Myanmar's snub to democracy. In a diplomatic bungle, the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also abruptly withdrew an invitation to UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari to address Asian leaders after Myanmar objected. They further rejected calls to suspend Myanmar from the bloc to punish the junta's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters that left 15 people dead in September, and its refusal to free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. "ASEAN Leaders will strive to prevent the Myanmar issue from obstructing our efforts to deepen integration and build an ASEAN Community," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his opening remarks at the annual summit.