Madeline Albright on Burma at the N

[Winston_Lee@xxxxxxx]

Subject: Madeline Albright on Burma at the National Press Club: Aug 6, 1997

The following is inserts from her appearance at the National Press Club.

QUESTION: In many parts of your career you have fought for the right of
women as an
     international cause. I'd like to ask you about Burma, which is known
for trafficking in
     women, and whether or not the sanctions that have been applied - the
economic
     assistance sanctions and loan sanctions - have had any effect on Burma
 both in the issue
     in regard to the trafficking of women and also to the promotion of
democracy there?

     SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: I'm so glad to have a question on Burma. I not
only sang
     at the ASEAN, but made a big point of discussing the fact that we
believe that Burma's
     new membership in the ASEAN should be used by the ASEAN members to
make sure
     that in fact now there is some pressure on the SLORC to move towards a
 dialogue with
     Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the NLD - the democratic party there.

     She is the rightful leader. We believe that it's important for the
SLORC to talk with her in
     order to make sure that ultimately there is some ability for an
elected party - the ones who
     won in 1988 - to be able to have a voice in the governing of their
country.

     We have imposed our set of sanctions. We believe that it was important
 to do because of
     what it underlines and emphasizes in our approach to Burma. I have to
say that at this
     stage, I cannot tell you specifically what effect there has been on
the specific subjects that
     you have discussed. But I think that it was vital, essential that the
United States take this
     position because we believe that democratically-elected governments
should be allowed to
     run their countries, and that there should be a dialogue between the
NLD -- Aung San Suu
     Kyi, specifically - and the SLORC.