Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-06-Speech-4-129"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070906.17.4-129"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, the crackdown on peaceful protestors on the last day of August has once again spotlighted the scandal of human rights in Burma, and the Commission remains very worried about this situation. We believe that the military regime is a threat to the region and, most of all, to the country and the people of Burma.
As regards engaging the regime, there is a consensus that more needs to be done, not less. Isolation will only make the population pay a greater price. The Commission maintains that channels of communication with the Government must be kept open, notably to convey our concerns about human rights and, in this regard, the Commission uses all appropriate occasions, for instance the ASEM meetings, and the EU ASEAN meetings, to raise the need for an inclusive dialogue among all stakeholders. We regularly press for national reconciliation and for the liberation of political detainees.
To help the people of Myanmar, and specifically the most vulnerable parts of the population, the Commission is increasing its assistance programmes in quantitative and in qualitative terms. A new country strategy foresees support for health and basic education, for instance the Three Diseases Fund, which is supported by the EU and its partner, is already working well to fights AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. This comes on top of our significant humanitarian aid.
In particular, as foreseen in the EU common position, the European Union wishes to engage the Government in a critical dialogue over its responsibilities to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and the Commission hopes that the Government is prepared to step up the existing dialogue in areas of health and education, among others. Unfortunately, we do not believe that additional restrictive measures will push the Government in the desired direction or will alleviate the suffering of the people.
A large part of the population of 52 million is in anguish and poverty, which is the result of bad political and economic governance.
In an environment of political, social and economic insecurity, issues of human rights are sadly taking backstage, and the most recent detention of political activists is a case in point.
The overriding challenge for the Government – national reconciliation and economic development – is obvious. But for the international community, helping the transition of Burma towards being a more open and more developed society to be led by a legitimate and civilian government must remain the paramount goal.
The National Convention process, which has just finished, was a very formal procedure to boost the current regime’s power. It was certainly not a genuine exercise to draft a new constitution and was far from inclusive. That is why the Commission fully shares the view of the United States Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has requested the Government embark on an inclusive, participatory and transparent process, with a view to allowing all the relevant parties to Myanmar’s national reconciliation process to fully contribute to defining the country’s future.
We also welcome the work of Ibrahim Gambari, as Special Envoy for Myanmar of the United Nations Secretary-General. We hope that the good offices of the United Nations will continue. Professor Gambari is due to visit Myanmar shortly.
We criticise, specifically, the working conditions in the country for the Red Cross. The Government, in its own interests and out of respect for international humanitarian law, should allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to continue its mission.
At the same time, we should note a few encouraging signals. The Commission hopes that the recent arrangement between the Government of Burma and the ILO, handling the complaints against forced labour, will help the victims. We acknowledge that the Government has agreed in early August with its ASEAN partners to the inclusion of a human rights commission in the planned ASEAN Charter, the constitutional document.
What can the EU do? An effective policy should aim at bringing the country back into the international community, allowing for political, social and economic development. The EU common position reflects this need; it is a balanced document, detailing our criticisms, while engaging Government over its responsibilities and offering assistance to the people."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples