IRELAND MAINTAINS CONCERNS ON BURMA BUT WILL NOT

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 000903 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/02/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM FI BU EUN EI SUBJECT: IRELAND MAINTAINS CONCERNS ON BURMA BUT WILL NOT CHALLENGE ASEM INVITATION REF: STATE 124139 Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Mary E. Daly, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On August 1, emboff delivered reftel points to Irish Department of Foreign Affairs Asia Section First Secretary James McIntyre. McIntyre said that the GOI would not ask the EU Presidency to withdraw or downgrade their invitation for Burma to attend the September Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) because the decision is in line with the EU Common Position on Burma. He cited EU agreement on interpretation of a Common Position clause that allows Burmese officials to be exempted from the visa ban for multilateral meetings if the situation in Burma is addressed at the meeting. McIntyre said the precedent set by the Netherlands last year when Burma was not invited to an ASEM economic minsters meeting proved counterproductive, as it prompted a boycott of the meeting by ministers of Asian countries, including Japan and South Korea. The GOI fears a similar boycott if Burma is excluded from this year's ASEM. McIntyre also said that the invitation was extended to ASEAN as an organization, and the EU could not tell ASEAN which of its members could attend. He mentioned Secretary Rice's attendance at the recent Kuala Lumpur meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, which Burma attended. ¶2. (C) McIntyre stressed that while Ireland would not challenge the EU Presidency's decision to invite Burma to the September ASEM, the GOI remains one of the EU's strongest advocates for democracy and human rights inside Burma. He noted that Ireland and other countries would insist on raising Burma's human rights situation at ASEM and would push for reference to discussion on Burma in the meeting's Chairman's Statement. Moreover, the GOI believed that participation by Burma's foreign minister at the ASEM heads-of-state gathering would send a signal as to Burma's isolation. ¶3. (C) Comment: Ireland's committment to Burma was highlighted by a joint reception held in June by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the NGO, Burma Action Ireland. This event marked the publication of two reports detailing human rights abuses and included participation by emboff, numerous diplomats, NGO activists, and the former Burmese political prisoner, Ko Bo Kyi. Minister of State with Responsibility for Human Rights, Conor Lenihan, also spoke at the event. Ireland has allocated over euro 1 million in recent years to projects benefiting the Burmese people, including support for human rights and democratization, and NGO co-financing. End Comment. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit Dublin's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/dublin/index. cfm KENNY