Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-05-12-Speech-4-192"
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"en.20050512.26.4-192"2
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".
Mr President, I should like to start by pointing out that the Commission shares completely the concerns expressed today by Members of Parliament on the situation in Burma/Μyanmar. The Commission continues to call for the unconditional release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.
There is as yet no agreed EU position on its participation in ASEAN conferences if Burma/Myanmar takes over the chairmanship. However, it is clear that a good number of countries have reservations about participating in ASEAN regional meetings unless there are decisive positive developments in Burma/Μyanmar before it takes over the chairmanship.
Consequently, the efforts being made by numerous parliamentarians in ASEAN in order to pressure Burma/Myanmar into making political changes before it takes over the chairmanship are particularly encouraging.
Finally, I should like to say a few words about Burma Day, which the Commission organised on 5 April and during which a debate was held on the basis of the independent experts' report prepared by two excellently trained consultants. Even though the report also refers to EU policy on Burma/Myanmar, the objective of Burma Day 2005 was to focus the debate on the possibilities for providing aid inside Burma/Μyanmar.
This aid will not be channelled through the government; it will be implemented transparently and responsibly through UN agencies and non-government organisations.
EU political sanctions were not debated during Burma Day. All the speakers were selected on the basis of their ability to contribute to the overall debate on aid and their experience from working inside Burma/Myanmar, not their views on the sanctions.
It also continues to call on the Burmese regime to participate in a substantive dialogue with all the political parties, including the National League for Democracy and all the ethnic groups. It is clear that national reconciliation and the restoration of democracy can only be achieved through a transparent and constructive dialogue between all the legitimate interested parties.
That is why the Commission regrets that the terms which might allow the National League for Democracy and all the other legal representatives to participate in the national assembly are not being met.
As no specific positive developments have been noted in respect of the political situation and human rights in the country and given that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders continue to be detained, the common position of the European Union on Burma/Myanmar was renewed on 25 April for a further year.
The serious sanctions against the military regime have been maintained and I can assure the honourable Members of Parliament that all the representatives of the European Union will continue to take every opportunity to raise specific issues, such as human rights, forced labour, the lack of democratic development and the continuing detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other politicians.
At the same time, on the basis of the agreed policy of the European Union, communication channels with the Burmese regime will continue to be kept open. The European Union is ready for direct, substantive and open talks with the regime during high-level Asia/Europe conferences or bilaterally on the fringes of such conferences.
The recent conference of foreign ministers of ASEAN, the Association of South-East Asian Nations, in Kyoto on 6 and 7 May was an opportunity of the first order to discuss all the European Union's concerns openly and directly with the Burmese leadership.
These discussions took place both during the ASEAN conference itself and between the EU troika and the Burmese foreign minister, Mr Win. During the meeting between the troika and Foreign Minister Win, he was also given a list of the names of political prisoners about whom the European Union has expressed its concern.
As regards the chairmanship of ASEAN, the Commission continues to hope that significant progress can be made towards national reconciliation and democratisation and the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the run up to Myanmar's taking over the chairmanship of ASEAN."@en1
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