Italian Congress Motion on Burma

The motion on Burma adopted last week by the Foreign Affairs Committe of the Italian Congress

Motion on Burma (Congress)

- Having regards to its previous resolutions

- Having regard to its resolution on the Commission Communication on 'Europe and Asia: A Strategic Framework for Enhanced Partnerships' of 5 September 2002,

- Having regard to its previous resolutions on Burma, in particular those of 11 April 2002, 13 March 2003, 5 June 2003, 4 September 2003 and 11 March 2004,

- having regard to the Chairman's statement of the Fourth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM IV) held in Copenhagen from 23 to 24 September 2002,

- having regard to the Declaration of the Third Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP III), held in Hue City from 25 to 26 March 2004,

- having regard to Burma's membership of ASEAN, and its presidency of ASEAN in 2006,

- having regard to the Chairman's Statement of the Sixth ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Kildare from 17 to 18 April 2004,

- having regard to Council Common Position 96/635/CFSP of 28 October 1996, defined by the Council on the basis of Article J.2 of the Treaty on European Union, on Burma, as renewed and extended by Council Common Position 2003/297/CFSP of 28 April 2003 on Burma,

- having regard to the outcome of discussions at the Gymnich Meeting of EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs of 3 and 4 September 2004,

- having regard to the forthcoming ASEM V Summit, to be held from 8 to 9 October 2004 in Hanoi,

A. Whereas the ASEM V Summit is part of the ASEM process enabling EU Member States and Asian countries to build an equal Asia-Europe partnership based on the three pillars of political, economic and cultural dialogue,

B. Whereas it is reported that leaders of the ASEAN states have indicated that Burma should be entitled to take part in the ASEM V Summit,

C. Whereas the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has failed to respect the results of the last elections held in Burma in 1990, when the National League for Democracy (NLD) won 82% of the vote and yet has been prevented from taking office, regardless of its legal right to do so,

D. whereas the people of Burma are subject to human rights abuses including forced labour, persecution of dissidents, torture, conscription of child soldiers, serious abuse of ethnic minority women and children by government troops, and forced relocation,

E. whereas Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest without access to telephone communication and with visitors requiring government permission to see her, the NLD has faced continued harassment, and the National Convention has not allowed genuine open debate,

F. whereas the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained NLD leaders is an essential precondition for any meaningful dialogue with the regime,

G. whereas over a thousand political prisoners remain in jail in Burma, and the Burmese Government continues to deny prisoners adequate medical care whilst imprisoned,

H. whereas the accession of 10 new Member States to the EU necessitates enlargement of ASEM, and Cambodia, Laos and Burma have applied to become members of ASEM,

I. whereas the Sixth ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Kildare in April 2004 laid down clear conditions for Burma's entry into ASEM, including the release of Aung San Suu Kyi as a minimum condition, allowing the NLD to operate freely, and starting genuine political dialogue with pro-democracy and ethnic groups in Burma,

J. whereas none of these conditions has been fulfilled by the Burmese regime,

K. whereas the NLD has called for investment sanctions against Burma,

L. whereas Member States remain among Burma's biggest investors and trading partners,

M. whereas at their informal meeting at St Gerlach Castle on 3 September 2004 the Foreign Ministers of the 25 European Union countries reached an agreement accepting Burma's participation at the next ASEM Summit, but at a level below head of state/government,

N. whereas the Council decided that if the Burmese Government had not fulfilled the following three conditions by the time of the ASEM V Summit: the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other NLD leaders; allowing the NLD to operate freely; and an invitation to the NLD and other political parties to participate freely in the National Convention, it would take further action at its subsequent session on 11 October,

1. Deplores the decision of the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs to allow the participation of Burma at the ASEM V Summit and to delay taking further action until after the summit has taken place;

2. Considers that this decision could give a signal to the Burmese regime that the EU attaches a lessening priority to the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, thereby encouraging it to take further harsh measures against the NLD and its leaders;

3. Continues to insist that Burma should not attend the ASEM V Summit, and that Burma should not become a member of ASEM, until irreversible political change towards democracy takes place in that country;

4. Demands the immediate release of and full freedom of movement and expression for Aung San Suu Kyi and other leading NLD members as well as other political prisoners held by the SPDC;

5. Calls for all NLD offices currently closed to be allowed to reopen; calls on the SPDC to initiate immediately a meaningful dialogue with the NLD and ethnic groups to bring about a return to democracy and respect for human rights, including ethnic minorities' rights in Burma;

6. Insists that the SPDC relinquish its grip on power and that the results of the last elections be fully respected, that the National Convention procedures be modified and that a time- frame for its completion be established;

Request the Italian Government to:

Calls on European lInstitutions for an EU envoy to be appointed to work towards securing the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and freedom for the NLD;

Insist that the EU's Common Policy on Burma should be strengthened immediately and, in addition to the measures proposed by the Council, should also ban the import of goods and services from enterprises owned by the military, military personnel and their associates and ban the import of strategically important goods from sectors of the economy under monopoly, such as gems and timber, and furthermore calls on travel agencies and independent tour operators in the EU to stop promoting and selling tourist visits to Burma;

Calls on the ASEAN states to join the EU in exerting greater pressure on the SPDC to release Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained NLD members immediately, and to take meaningful steps to exercise their influence over the Burmese regime so as to bring about change for the better in Burma;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the ASEAN and ASEM Member States, Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD, the SPDC and the UN Secretary-General. (Unofficial translation)

[Main][International Actions][News Archieve][Top]