NCGUB Welcomes European Parliament’s Conditions on Burma
NCGUB
Press Release
September 1, 2004
The NCGUB is heartened by the reports that following the Debate on the Human Rights Situation in Burma organized by the Development Committee of the European Parliament on 30 August, the Members of European Parliament are convinced that the military junta in Burma has yet to meet its human rights obligations and should not be accepted to the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) between ASEAN and European Union countries.
Dr Thaung Htun, NCGUB representative for UN Affairs, who rebutted the testimony of the regime's ambassador Dr Kyaw Win, and presented NCGUB's paper on the human rights situation in Burma at the hearing, said: "The Committee will be sending a letter to the European Council to translate the Parliament's recommendations into policy and not accept Burma until the conditions that have been set in March this year are met."
The conditions set by the European Union to be allowed to attend the ASEM meeting, among others, are: (a) Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other NLD leaders are released. (b) The NLD is allowed to participate freely in the National Convention (c) The National Convention procedures are modified and a definite time frame for its completion is established.
The NCGUB also fully agrees with the recommendations set by the European Parliament in its resolution on Burma adopted on 11 March 2004, including the use of targeted sanctions, if the Burmese generals continue to deny the legitimate representatives of the people to be part of the process that determines the political future of Burma.
The NCGUB delegation is presently discussing Burma with members and officials of the European Parliament and will be meeting governments of the European Union, including the new members, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic, to discuss the role of the European Union, and the international community in general, in helping the Burmese democracy movement determine a democratic future for Burma.
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