29 September 2006
Burma Must Change Its Policies, Conduct, Ambassador Bolton Says
U.S. to seek Security Council action if visit by U.N. official shows no results
United Nations -- If the Burmese government does not substantially change its policies and conduct over the next few months, the United States will be submitting a resolution to the Security Council to take action, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton says.
"Absent substantial changes in policy by the government in Burma in connection with drug trafficking, with refugee flows, political repression, HIV/AIDS, and the like -- all the reasons that we felt Burma's policies and conduct amounted to a threat to international peace and security," the United States will press the council to take action, Bolton told reporters prior to a September 29 meeting between U.N. Security Council members and U.N. Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari.
The 15-nation council placed the situation in Burma on its agenda September 15 at the request of the United States and held its first formal session on the issue September 29. (See related article.)
Bolton said the United States is "prepared to move ahead" on a resolution but will "wait and see the results" of Gambari's visit to Burma in early November.
"We'll wait and see the results of the briefing and the visit, but we thought it was significant that we give advance notice," the ambassador said. "We didn't put this issue on the agenda simply to have briefings."
UNDER SECRETARY-GENERAL ASKED TO INTENSIFY EFFORTS DURING VISIT TO BURMA
Gambari said that the Security Council asked him to intensify his efforts during his upcoming visit to Burma, known officially at the United Nations as Myanmar.
The under secretary-general said that he did not see council action as complicating his efforts. "But also it is important to say that my engagement with the government of Myanmar [Burma] should not be for the sake of engagement, but we expect some results in terms of progress in addressing the issues," he added.
Gambari said much work remains on the four main issues raised during his visit to the country in May: freeing political prisoners, making the democratization process more inclusive, ending hostilities against the Karen people and improving humanitarian access to those in need, especially in conflict-affected areas.
Although one prisoner was released after Gambari's May visit, during which he met with Senior General Than Shwe, the government renewed for another year the house arrest of pro-democracy leader and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. (See related article.)
BURMA RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL U.N. AGENCIES
United Kingdom U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said that the condition of Burma's people "in terms of poverty, drugs, HIV/AIDS, oppression, lack of human rights, governance, . . . cry out for the international community to do more to support the people."
Jones Parry said that Burma, officially known as Myanmar, is not just the responsibility of the Security Council, but all U.N. agencies. With the "right sort of response from the government" the country could change, he said. "The shared interest we have is to have a peaceful, prosperous, free Myanmar -- nothing less than that, nothing more."
Human Rights Watch, an independent nongovernmental organization, has urged the Security Council to call for democratic reform and respect for human rights in Burma.
In a September 28 press release, Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said "the Security Council must act on the human rights situation of a country where violence and repression from the military are an everyday fact of life. The military doesn't allow a free press, independent civil society organizations or opposition parties, and it arrests and tortures those who speak out. These are the issue the council must address."
Adams pointed out that on September 27 Burma's military junta arrested three prominent student activists for advocating Security Council action.
During the opening of the 61st General Assembly September 19, U.S. first lady Laura Bush convened a roundtable discussion to highlight the repressive situation in Burma and the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as discuss what could be done to secure the release of political prisoners and reconcile the country. (See related article.)
The first lady said that the United States would work hard with other members of the Security Council to ensure that the crisis in Burma is not overlooked.
For further information, see U.S. Support for Democracy in Burma.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
