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.


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