CANADA TO CONTINUE TO PRESSURE GOVERNMENT OF BURMA

UNCLAS OTTAWA 002006 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (CLASSIFICATION CHANGED TO SBU AND DECLAS LINE CHANGED TO N/A) SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV BM CA SUBJECT: CANADA TO CONTINUE TO PRESSURE GOVERNMENT OF BURMA REF: STATE 200944 ¶1. (SBU) Post delivered points contained reftel to Nancy Mackay-Dietrich, Special Advisor for Burma in DFAIT,s Southeast Asia Division, on July 14, 2003. Mackay-Dietrich indicated that, in addition to the visa restrictions mentioned in reftel, the GOC was taking other steps to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her National League for Democracy party. She cited the fact that Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham recently repeated his call on the Canadian business community to cease further investment agreements or commercial ventures in Burma until the political situation improves. Mackay-Dietrich said that although the GOC lacked the legal authority to ban investment outright, she did feel that Graham was firmly committed to decreasing investment levels. To support this she cited his plan to personally call Ivanhoe Mine Ltd, a Canadian company that invests heavily in Burma, and urge it to cease its business in the country. Similarly, Mackay-Dietrich doubted that the GOC would pass import ban legislation. She did, however, feel that the GOC would communicate directly with importers and strongly discourage them from doing business with Burma. ¶2. (SBU) The GOC is very supportive of ASEAN member states working to influence democratic change in Burma. Mackay-Dietrich stated that Canada has had ongoing talks with both China and Japan, including conversations at the recently completed ASEAN meetings in Cambodia, and has urged the two countries to take a more formal role in pressuring Burma. She also said that Canada agreed that the UN would be an appropriate forum for discussion of this issue and mentioned that, over the last few weeks, Graham has raised the issue with both Kofi Annan and his Special Envoy Razali Ismail. Mackay-Dietrich felt that the GOC would support any efforts to bring up the subject at the UN Security Council. CELLUCCI