EU plans mission on rights improvem

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: EU plans mission on rights improvement to Rangoon  



June 30, 1999 


BURMA / BID TO BREAK POLITICAL DEADLOCK


EU plans mission on rights improvement to Rangoon 


Nussara Sawatsawang


The European Union has floated a new initiative for dialogue with the Burmese
government in a bid to break a political deadlock between the military junta
and the opposition National League for Democracy, sources said.


Under the initiative, made known to Thailand last week, the EU is to send a
fact-finding team of senior officials to Rangoon to seek its co-operation in
improving its human rights record, a source said. The EU also hopes the
mission
would eventually lead to its mediating a dialogue between the ruling State
Peace and Development Council and NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the source
added.
The idea is to send the mission to Burma before Asean foreign ministers have
their annual meeting in late July.


A senior Foreign Ministry official welcomed the EU initiative, saying it
was in
line with Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan's recent proposal to encourage
EU-Burma dialogue. The EU is a strong critic of Burma's failure to respect
human rights and democracy.


But a German embassy spokesman played down the proposal, saying the EU was
still discussing the matter informally with its Asean counterparts. Germany's
hold over the EU's six-month presidency ends today.


An Asean diplomat said yesterday the success of the proposal would lie with
Rangoon, which has not responded to it so far.


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