AUSTRALIA: ENCOURAGING SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 001561 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS A.COPE STATE ALSO FOR DRL AND EAP/ANP E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/23/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM AS BM SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA: ENCOURAGING SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY IN BURMA REF: STATE 142626 Classified By: Political Counselor James F. Cole for reasons 1.4 (b),(d ). ¶1. (U) Poloffs presented ref demarche to Jeannie Henderson, Director of the Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Burma Section, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT),on October 23. ¶2. (C) In a preliminary reaction to the points, Henderson noted that Australia ended its programs in Burma specifically designed to promote human rights and democracy several years ago and currently had no such programs underway. Part of the reason was the absence of organizations in Australia dedicated to these objectives comparable to the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy. ¶3. (SBU) Australia undertakes to further democracy and human rights through bilateral and multilateral diplomatic efforts. Foreign Minister Downer urged Burmese Foreign Minister U Nyan Win to address the need for political reform most recently on the margins of the July 31 ARF meeting in Manila. In addition to demarching ASEAN capitals, Australia has endorsed firm UN action on Burma, including support for the recent efforts of UN Special Envoy Gambari and further action on Burma in the UN Security Council. Australia supported the resolution adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on October 2, 2007, and co-sponsored resolutions condemning human rights abuses in Burma at the UN Commission on Human Rights in April 2005 and in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly in late 2006. At a June 2007 International Labour Organization (ILO) meeting, Australia urged Burma to cooperate with the ILO in investigating complaints of forced labor. ¶4. (C) Regarding aid to Burma, Henderson said Australian assistance is channeled in a manner that avoids benefiting the regime. As noted on DFAT's online country summaries, Australia targets vulnerable populations, especially women and children, through contributions to UN agencies and local, international and Australian NGOs working at the community level. On October 5, 2007, Foreign Minister Downer announced an additional AUS$4.3 million (USD 3.8 million) in humanitarian assistance to those whose conditions had been made more difficult by the recent suppression of pro-democracy protests. ¶5. (U) Post regrets the delay in reporting this demarche, occasioned by internal cable misrouting. MCCALLUM