MANILA, Philippines -- Myanmar backs a proposal enshrining human rights in a charter being prepared by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations but opposes any combative rights body that would embarrass governments, a diplomat said Thursday.

Myanmar tried to block an attempt by lower-level diplomats of the 10-member ASEAN to mandate the creation of a human rights body in its landmark charter, Southeast Asian diplomats said.

However, ASEAN foreign ministers, including Myanmar's, later agreed to create a body that could look into violations in the region, saying it would bolster the group's image.

"We want to promote human rights, but it should be a consultative body first," said Thaung Tun, a member of Myanmar's delegation at an ASEAN-sponsored security meeting in Manila.

It should not be a body that would "shame and blame," he told reporters.

Myanmar will suggest its ideas for the organization when diplomats start negotiating the terms of its creation, including a timeframe, he said.

ASEAN, formed 40 years ago, decided to draft a charter to become a more rules-based organization. It hopes the charter can be formally signed at an annual ASEAN leaders' summit in November.

More liberal members such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand have backed the creation of a human rights commission.

"The ASEAN charter presents us with a golden opportunity to make a bold and visionary political statement to the world," Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo said. "For others to take ASEAN seriously, we in the region must take ASEAN seriously."

However, other members, including military-ruled Myanmar, fear such a commission could allow scrutiny of rights conditions in particular countries, possibly violating the group's cardinal policy of noninterference in each other's affairs.

The debate on the proposed charter reflects how ASEAN's diverse membership, including fledgling democracies, communist countries and a military dictatorship, has hobbled decision-making and rapid progress on key issues.

The foreign ministers expressed continuing concern over the detention of political prisoners in Myanmar, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, according to European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

"We continue to be very concerned," he said.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It admitted Myanmar in 1997 despite strong opposition from Western nations.