[burmanet2-l] Socialist Internation

[dawnstar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Re: [burmanet2-l] Socialist International / BACKS OFF INVESTMENT BAN

It appears that the socialists have caught the capitalist fever,
certainly here in Paris, where the French stock exchange is hitting
daily new records, cresting at 5000 points, and Jospin the French Prime
Minister called for a new approach at the Nov 8 openning of the 21st
annual SI conference, held here in Paris. There Jospin said that markets
are only an instrument, efficient and precise,  and not a valeur in
themselves, that they should be regulated, must be regulated to serve
society ("Le marché est un instrument, efficace et précieux. Mais il
n'est qu'un instrument. Il doit être régulé. Il doit rester au service
de la société.") Extraordinary that Jospin would call markets "efficient
and precise". He is not an economist, never was, and had to fire his
Finance minister, who officially, quit, on the same day of the opening
of the Socialist Internatinoal Conference. The two events, with capital
overtaking the french market, and with Jospin, praising the markets, and
the economy, here, combined with the watered-down resolution on Burma,
indicates that the SI has got it wrong on Burma. Calling the crisis a
genocide without naming those responsable for the support of the
dictatorship doing the killing is utterly and wholely repugnant and
unacceptable.

This should be clear to everyone, and there should be an explanation
from the Socialist International on investment in Burma, and why they
backed off from their 1998 resolution of Geneva, if they consider the
1999 resolution a reversal of their previous position, and if not, why
then they backed off naming the oil and gas companies, and by doing so,
sending a signal that it is okay and fine to go ahead and do business in
Burma. Has the SI become an instrument of the market, and as well, an
instrument of constuctive engagement with the regime?

dawn star

> this latest SI resolution is most disappointing, did they not pass any
> resolution against economic investment in burma; last year they did,
> citing specifically Total Premier, Unocal and Nippon oil. for the Yadana
> and Yetagun gazoducs, so it would appear that Total Fina has gotten to
> them.  

Its also very wierd, now could the SI on one hand, "demand an end to the
genocidal war being waged against the
> > non-Burmese ethnic peoples especially in the Karen, Karenni, Shan and
> > Chin states;
> >
acknowledging the fact of a "genocidal war" AND NOT REPEAT ITS DEMAND
MADE LAST YEAR CITING EXPLICITLY THE OIL AND GAS COMPANIES. 

THERE SHOULD BE A CLEAR EXPLANATION BY THE SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL ON
THIS POINT

> >                    XXI CONGRESS OF THE SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL
> >                                     France, November 10, 1999
> >
> >                         DRAFT GENERAL CONGRESS RESOLUTION
> >
> > The XXI Congress of the Socialist International, meeting in Paris 8-10
> > November 1999, has adopted the hereafter draft general congress
> > resolution:
> >
> > ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
> >
> > Regarding Burma, the Socialist International,
> >
> > urges all SI member parties to fully recognise and staunchly support
> > the Committee Representing the People's Parliament (CRPP), formed by
> > the absolute majority of the elected members of parliament through
> > free and fair elections in 1990, in which the National League for
> > Democracy (NLD) led by Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won a land
> > slide victory;
> >
> > strongly urges the junta to hand over power to the NLD and the
> > representatives elected by the people of Burma who have the validity
> > and legitimacy to govern the country;
> >
> > strongly condemns the sweeping and continuous human rights violations
> > committed by the military government and supports the UN Human rights
> > Commission resolutions, which catalogued a long list of such
> > violations by the junta in the year of the 50th Anniversary of the UN
> > Declaration of Human Rights;
> >
> > demands the cessation of these violations starting with the release of
> > at least 150 detained members of parliament and all other political
> > prisoners;
> >
> > demands an end to the genocidal war being waged against the
> > non-Burmese ethnic peoples especially in the Karen, Karenni, Shan and
> > Chin states;
> >
> > calls on the ASEAN member countries to put strong pressure on the
> > military junta to hold substantial political dialogue with the NLD and
> > the non-Burmese ethnic nationalities in order to resolve the
> > long-standing conflicts in the country and reach acceptable and
> > peaceful solutions to the suffering of the people of Burma;
> >
> > reaffirms the Socialist International's unswerving encouragement and
> > support for Burma's democratic movement in general, and the NLD and
> > Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in particular.
> >