SLOVENIA SUPPORTS COMMON EU POSITION ON SANCTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000667 SIPDIS SIPDIS PASS TO EAP/MLS AARON COPE E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/24/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM CVIS ETRD BM SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA SUPPORTS COMMON EU POSITION ON SANCTIONS ON BURMA REF: A. SECSTATE 146862 ¶B. LJUBLJANA 661 ¶C. LJUBLJANA 624 Classified By: CDA Maryruth Coleman, reasons 1.4(b,d) ¶1. (C) On October 24, EmbOffs urged Ambassador Janez Premoze, head of the MFA Division for Asia, Africa, and the Pacific, to consider implementing or toughening financial sanctions against the Burmese government, particularly bans on the export of financial services and on new investment, as requested in reftel A. Premoze stated that Slovenia supports the enforcement of existing sanctions and the implementation of additional sanctions, pending the outcome of discussions on a common EU position. Premoze remarked that Greece and Cyprus object to a ban on EU-member flagged vessels docking at Burmese ports. He suggested that the EU-China Summit on October 29 was an opportunity to discuss enlisting China as an interlocutor with the GOB; he noted that the EU had discussed Burma during consultations in the run up to the Summit. Premoze said that Slovenia is concerned about the effects of sanctions on the population of Burma, and warned that timber sanctions could harm the general public. He explained that Slovenia supports an overall approach to Southeast Asian issues, and that the EU should look at Burma in this broader context, specifically mentioning the junta in Thailand. COLEMAN