GUIDANCE FOR SYG FRIENDS OF BURMA MEETING,

UNCLAS STATE 103358 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM BM SUBJECT: GUIDANCE FOR SYG FRIENDS OF BURMA MEETING, SEPTEMBER 27 REFS: A) STATE 97116 B) USUN NEW YORK 829 ¶1. (U) This is an action request. USUN is instructed to draw from the following talking points during the September 27 meeting of the "Group of Friends of the Secretary General on Burma." ¶2. (U) Begin points, to be supplemented as appropriate from background in para 3 and refetls. On behalf of the United States, I would like to thank Secretary General Ban for holding this meeting today. I am pleased that many distinguished Foreign Ministers were able to join us this morning. The international community must be fully engaged in its efforts to assist the Burmese people and we welcome the SYG's personal interest in this critical topic and strongly support his "good offices" mission. The Security Council has repeatedly made clear that the common goal of true friends of Burma is the release of all political prisoners including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and genuine, time-bound dialogue leading to democratization. While we are pleased by the recent release of Win Tin and several other political prisoners, we must ensure that this not an isolated step, but instead a first step in a process that results in the release of all two thousand political prisoners that are unjustly being held. We are gravely concerned by the continuing pattern of violence and the arrest and imprisonment of individuals whose only crime is the free expression of opinion. We all remember the actions by the regime a year ago when it brutally repressed peaceful protesters seeking democracy in their country and we are deeply dismayed to see the regime again round up activists this year, in fear of more of their citizens peacefully taking to the streets. There is no legitimate reason for the regime to engage in their repressive tactics, nor is there legitimate reason for the regime to ignore the calls of the United Nations and many others throughout the world. We look to the regime to release immediately and unconditionally all political prisoners and to immediately begin a genuine, transparent, and inclusive dialogue with all democratic and ethnic minority groups with the support of the United Nations. Engaging in a substantive dialogue with representatives from a cross section of Burmese society is the only way Burma will move towards national reconciliation and become a functional member of the international community. Burma needs to take concrete steps towards becoming a stable and free society, and to fulfilling its obligations to the UNSC. It is our task to continue to push them in that direction. However, the Burmese regime has shown its back to the United Nations, rebuffing Mr. Gambari's work on the critical aspects of his mandate. Those who hold the power and make the decisions in Burma have refused to meet with him. The Secretary General, the UNSC, and we as an international community, must hold the regime to account for its lack of compliance with the calls of the United Nations Security Council. In the face of repeated and outright defiance to the good efforts of the United Nations, we must now begin to consider steps that will lead to a more stable and free Burma. We encourage the Secretary General to continue his active involvement and to consider visiting the region when circumstances permit. (End points) -------------- Background -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Following a series of informal briefings to the P5 and with the blessing of the UNSC President, UN Special Advisor Ibrahim Gambari formally briefed the UNSC September 11 and the "Group of Friends on Burma" September 12 in regard to his recent fourth mission to Burma (August 18-23) In these meetings, Gambari highlighted a "marked improvement" in the regime's willingness to engage, as well as progress on peripheral issues. In response to remarks emphasizing the serious lack of progress on core issues (U.S., UK, France, Belgium, Croatia, Italy, Costa Rica),SYG Ban stated bluntly that Gambari's trip was not a failure, before stressing that only "giving up hope" is a failure. (Ref B) RICE