Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-06-19-Speech-4-156"
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"en.20080619.20.4-156"2
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"Mr President, Mrs Ferrero-Waldner is unfortunately not here today, so I shall – on her behalf – share with you a few remarks about the situation in Burma/Myanmar.
The people of Burma/Myanmar would deserve a system of government which focuses on economic and social development, and on the participation of the electorate in the political process. For Europe, expressing our indignation and isolating the country is clearly not an adequate response. The people of Burma/Myanmar shall not pay the price of a political stalemate. They deserve better.
In conclusion, I wish to highlight our commitment to follow closely the situation in Burma/Myanmar. This includes continuing to push for a release of all political prisoners, and for an inclusive dialogue, including legal political parties and ethnic groups.
We continue a balanced approach. We are not up to confrontation for the sake of confrontation. Our ultimate goal remains to help a peaceful transition to a legitimate, civilian government. This is why we are fully supportive of the good offices of the UN Secretary General and his Special Advisor for Myanmar.
The interest of the Burmese people is best served with a balanced policy, including substantial assistance. The Commission has carefully chosen the areas of assistance to help the most vulnerable class of society. We have already significantly increased funding and hope that – in a coordinated effort with other donors – the overall funding level could reach the equivalent of what is spent per capita in comparable countries, like Laos and Cambodia. The people of Myanmar deserve a better future.
The European Parliament’s motion for a resolution focuses on the political situation and in particular on the continued detention of political prisoners. Before commenting on this issue, I would like to inform you about the Commission’s activities in response to the cyclone which devastated the delta of the Ayeryawaddy River six weeks ago.
The Commission’s response to the cyclone was quick and substantial: we have approved EUR 17 million in humanitarian aid, including EUR 5 million in food aid. We have also activated the civil protection mechanism – the cooperation with the EU Member States having joined the mechanism has worked very well. We cover water purification, boat transport, primary health care and other issues of importance in the post-disaster context.
The humanitarian emergency is not over. So far, approximately half of the survivors reached, that is, one million, are still in desperate need. Accessing the disaster-hit areas and distribution of aid is not without difficulties. This has as much to do with the size of the disaster as with the bureaucracy. Our field workers in Myanmar report gradually better cooperation from authorities. Our own humanitarian activities continue with reasonable efficiency. We recognise that the international NGOs are in a more difficult situation, as regards access to the stricken areas.
In the mean time, the ASEAN countries have taken the lead in coordinating external assistance. They are a member of the so-called ‘Tripartite Mechanism’, which comprises the ASEAN countries, the Government of Burma/Myanmar, and the United Nations.
The Government has issued new ‘guidelines’ for external aid. We have no evidence yet whether they are being used to narrow the space for aid delivery.
For us, the cyclone and its terrible consequences are a purely humanitarian issue. We defend the concept of ‘needs-based’ humanitarian relief.
On the political situation in Burma/Myanmar, the Government seems committed to proceed with its so-called ‘Road Map to Democracy’. We read this road map as a tightly controlled, slow transition towards a civilian government where the military still plays a dominant role. The Government seems committed to deliver, at its own pace and without regard to views and comments from outside. Realistically, there is hardly an alternative.
National reconciliation would require an inclusive dialogue. Such dialogue cannot take place with political stakeholders in jail or under house arrest. This is why we continue to push for the release of all political prisoners. My colleague, Mrs Ferrero-Waldner, has said publicly that the Government has missed a chance to send a signal of reconciliation at a moment of national distress when the Government again extended the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi."@en1
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