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Challenges of Diplomacy
- Subject: Challenges of Diplomacy
- From: waterly@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 18:31:00
Copyright 1997 The New York Times Company
The New York Times
February 14, 1997, Friday, Late Edition - Final
HEADLINE: Challenges of Diplomacy;
Banning New Investment in Myanmar
The Clinton Administration may be nearing a decision point on Myanmar, the
Southeast Asian nation that has been deformed by a brutal military dictatorship.
When President Clinton's top foreign-policy advisers take up the issue today,
they should recommend activating a ban on new American investment in Myanmar,
formerly known as Burma. It would be an excellent start for Mr. Clinton's new
team, and give Secretary of State Madeleine Albright evidence of American
resolve that will be useful in her visit to China in 10 days.
The decision should not be difficult. Last July, Congress passed a bill
authorizing a ban on all new American investment if Myanmar's Government
harmed or rearrested the democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi or cracked down
on the democracy movement. The law, introduced to undercut a tougher sanctions
bill, was sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, and William Cohen,
a Republican and now the Secretary of Defense. His enthusiasm for invoking the
sanctions is doubtful.
Unhappily, Myanmar has met the conditions for the ban. Mrs. Aung San Suu
Kyi renewed her call for sanctions early this month when she criticized the
Government for the recent arrests of dozens of student activists. She was held
under house arrest in December. The State Department's new human rights report
says that severe repression increased last year.
American officials also criticize Myanmar's regime for protecting major
opium traffickers, who run business empires and help sustain the financially
weak Government by buying state assets.
Banning new investment should not impose a hardship on the American business
community. Unocal, which owns part of a gas pipeline that will provide the
Myanmar Government with a major source of hard currency, is already the
largest American investor in Myanmar and one of few companies increasing its
stake. Unocal recently paid the Government several million dollars for new
rights to explore offshore gas deposits.
Unocal is the shameful exception. Pepsico has just joined a long list of
American and European companies pulling out. They are leaving to avoid bad
publicity and new laws in Massachusetts and several American cities barring
public contracts with companies that do business in Myanmar.
Secretary Albright and Bill Richardson, the new United Nations
representative, have both visited Myanmar and met with Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi.
Their commitment to protecting human rights will seem empty if they and other
senior advisers fail to urge Mr. Clinton to take action against Myanmar.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: February 14, 1997