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Open Letter: Urging the EU not to relax its common position toward Burma

As the UK and EU representative of NLD / LA, I would like to urge the European Union not relax its common position toward Burma, but engage in a dialogue with the military regime, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), to encourage a national reconciliation.

Like other opposition groups of Burma, our policy is to seek a negotiated settlement through dialogue. EU foreign ministers agreed in 2004 to tighten sanctions against the military leadership to protest its failure to improve human rights. We are asking the EU to keep its common position strong as there is no reason to relax it because the SPDC is not doing anything to improve the situation in Burma; Aung San Suu Kyi is still under house arrest and 15 members of parliament are under arrest, for instance.

On the other hand, in the special statement issued on 12 February 2006, the NLD proposed that it is ready to recognize the military regime as a transitional government if it allowed the parliament to convene based on the result of 1990 elections, for the sake of national reconciliation and to alleviate the sufferings of the people of Burma. The statement is important because it is the only realistic way relations between the SPDC and the international community could be normalised and for Burma to have a chance to move forward. We believe that it is in the strong interest of all sections of Burmese society and the wide international community that Burma swiftly moves to becoming a federal democratic state, which upholds the human rights of all its citizens.

Moreover, Burma's population is suffering from severe human rights abuses (for instance, the recent brutal murder of former political prisoner Thet Naing Oo in Rangoon by the local authorities "henchmen"), malnutrition, poverty and the spreads of the AIDS virus and the deadly avian flu virus H5N1.

The current situation in Burma is inherently unstable because: _

_ the junta's bloated military budget and octopus like tentacles has ruined the Burmese economy,

_ with the University system remains closed, and the health service in the country with the highest HIV rate in Asia is in tatters

_ the regime continues to profiteer and subsidise its misrule through the export of heroin and meta-amphetamines

_ ethnic nationalities are continued to be repressed, harassed and slaughtered.

_ Human & labour rights are ignored against all aspects of international law

Despite the criminal activities of the military regime, the NLD-LA advocates a process of national reconciliation, in which the current military government engages in a genuine and internationally sanctioned tripartite dialogue with the democratic opposition and the ethnic nationalities to re-establish a democratic state. Nonetheless, there can be no meaningful engagement with the regime unless Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and all other political prisoners are unconditionally released from arrest.

It is also crucial that the Security Council issues a mandate for the UN representative to establish a framework for tripartite talks, as we unequivocally reject the bogus charade of promises that have been issued by the regime in its various guises and with empty gesture of the junta’s "National Convention".

We seek the adoption of an internationally sanctioned roadmap, endorsed by the Security Council, which sets out a clear timetable for the transition to a federal democratic state.

While we recognise that a UN Security Council based dialogue will run up against Chinese opposition, we also note the extreme reluctance of the Chinese to veto UN resolutions and believe that any serious attempt to draft such a resolution by the EU and US governments would act as a catalyst for the Chinese government to place pressure on the Burmese regime to seriously engage with the opposition. The engagement of the Chinese government is crucial to a peaceful transition to democracy. The Chinese believe that their interests are best served by stability in Burma. We agree. However, we also believe that stability can only be achieved by a democratic government.

At the same time, urgent action is necessary to encourage ASEAN member countries and Japan & South Korea to take robust action against the regime.

The latest visit of ASEAN envoy Syed Hamid Albar clearly shows that the SPD C does not heed the accommodating help and advice of ASEAN nor any other country or bloc. The envoy had to cut his trip short because the junta refused to allow him to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi or any other opposition leaders.

The EU has repeatedly given Burma 'one last chance' before it strengthens its existing economic sanctions. If Burma is drinking in the last chance salon it is doing so well past closing time.

It is now nearly three years since the EU put the regime on probation after the attempted murder of Daw Aung san Suu Kyi, and over two year since the EU gave another opportunity to the regime to start dialogue through the sham National Convention.

The regime has been utterly contemptuous of these measures as it does not believe the EU will ever act.

It is of course extremely hard to speculate on the future tide of events in Burma. Nonetheless, it is clear that Burma is indeed at high risk of instability. Any major shock to the system: economic, natural, political, could result in widespread upheaval and bloodshed. The only way to avoid this is through the swift transition to democracy and that only way to achieve that is through concerted multilateral international pressure.

Dr Win Naing

UK & Europe Representative

NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY

Liberated Areas (UK and Europe)

45, Silkfield Road,

The Hyde, London, NW9

TeI: 0208 930 2336/ 200 6171 mobile: 07785 568 154

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