IRISH WANT TO KEEP PRESSURE ON THE BURMESE REGIME

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 000757 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS - AARON COPE E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/01/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM EI SUBJECT: IRISH WANT TO KEEP PRESSURE ON THE BURMESE REGIME REF: STATE 137644 ¶1. (SBU) POLOFF presented reftel points on October 1, 2007 to Ms. Islolde Moylan, Director, Asia and Oceania Division, Department of Foreign Affairs. Moylan reported that Irish Ambassadors have been intensively demarching China, India, and ASEAN countries to encourage them to take action against the brutal repression occurring in Burma. She said they have received unprecedented positive feedback, especially from ASEAN nations (who issued a statement on July 25),and also from China. Irish diplomats are concluding, Moylan said, that Burma's neighbors are coming to the realization that the actions of the Burmese military regime are not in the best interests of the region. ¶2. (C) Moylan indicated that Ireland was pushing within European Union corridors for sanctions to be applied against Burma and thought that EU Foreign Ministers would vote in favor of sanctions at their next meeting later this month. (Comment: Ireland, however, would probably not apply unilateral sanctions if the EU were to decide on a less robust response. End comment.) While Ireland hopes for positive action through the United Nations Security Council, Moylan indicated that it was prepared to join together with other like-minded nations outside the UN framework to bring pressure to bear on Burma. FOLEY