By WAI MOE
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, www.Irrawaddy.org
The European Parliament is scheduled to hold a debate on Burma today in Brussels and will vote on a new resolution which would exert more pressure on the Burmese military junta, according to the parliament’s official website. The website said that the parliament will debate the ongoing political situation in Burma with representatives of the European Council and European Commission.
According to the parliament’s draft resolution on Burma, which was obtained recently by The Irrawaddy, members of the European Union (EU) are focusing on exerting more political pressure on the Burmese junta because it refused to allow an inclusive political process in matters concerning the draft constitution, the referendum and the national reconciliation process in the country.
According to the parliament’s draft resolution, “The parliament deplores the fact that the constitutional referendum process is devoid of any democratic legitimacy, as the Burmese citizens lack all basic democratic rights that would allow them to hold an open debate on the constitution text, amend it and subsequently freely express themselves through referendum.”
The parliament also makes clear its stand on Burma’s national reconciliation process in calling for an inclusive political process and political dialogue toward genuine democratic transition. “The main objective of the EU strategy [on Burma] is to bring about democratic transition through an inclusive process of national reconciliation and dialogue,” said the draft. “[The EU] believes that sustainable development in Burma, offering a stable environment on the longer term, can only be brought about by respect for democratic values, human rights and the rule of law.”
The parliament says the EU intends to focus more on establishing a more active diplomatic engagement with Burma’s powerful neighbors, China and India, as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The European Parliament also called for a broadening in the range of targets by applying sanctions that focus on military-owned companies, conglomerates and businesses that are closely linked to the military or whose earnings benefit the military, and to restrict their access to international banking services.Under the parliament’s targeted sanctions, selected Burmese generals and their families’ businesses, healthcare, shopping trips and foreign education would be limited.
Those selected individuals and entities will also be “comprehensively and explicitly” prohibited from making any financial transitions through EU countries.The European Parliament also plans to actively campaign for a worldwide arms embargo on Burma. According to the draft, the current EU arms embargo on Burma is ineffective as the military regime purchases military equipment from China, Russia and India.
The parliament also urged the junta to: convene an independent election commission; compile a proper voter registration list; lift long-standing restrictions on media; permit freedoms of association, expression and assembly in Burma; revoke new regulations that criminalize legitimate debate on the referendum; and allow the presence of international observers at the referendum.
Finally, the European Parliament called on the European Commission to offer more support to human rights activists and opposition forces inside Burma. It also called for an increase in cross-border humanitarian aid to Internally Displaced Persons.
Nyo Ohn Myint, head of the foreign affairs office for the National League for Democracy (Liberated Area) welcomed the European Parliament’s policy statement.
“European diplomats told me that even countries such as China—which provides so much for the regime—are disappointed with the Burmese generals,” he said. “The EU’s decision will come from 27 countries. But, unlike Asean, their common ground will be a solid commitment toward Burma’s democracy.”
