BURMA: MFA DG QUESTIONS EFFECTIVENESS OF A NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 001350 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2029 TAGS: PREL UNSC PHUM BM CH SUBJECT: BURMA: MFA DG QUESTIONS EFFECTIVENESS OF A NEW UNSC STATEMENT REF: A. STATE 50384 ¶B. BEIJING 1329 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i., William Weinstein. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (C) The Charge delivered ref A points on May 18 urging PRC support for UN Security Council action in response to the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi to MFA North American and Oceanian Affairs Department Director General Zheng Zeguang. In response, DG Zheng suggested that a statement from the UN Security Council would not be the most effective way to address the issue and expressed hope that the United States was open to "other options" to deal with the situation. Zheng said China's "clear and consistent" position on the issue had been to encourage the regime in Burma to promote reconciliation and cooperate with UN Secretary General Special Advisor Ibrahim Gambari. Zheng added that he would share our concerns with International Organizations and Conferences (IO) Department DG Wu Hailong. PolMinCouns conveyed these same points to MFA IO Department Deputy Director General Li Junhua on May 18 (ref B). ¶2. (SBU) Note: In a May 17 discussion with IO Department UN Division Deputy Director Shen Yinyin, PolMinCouns had similarly urged China to support UNSC action in response to the Burmese regime's latest acts against Aung San Suu Kyi. Ms. Shen later confirmed that the message had been passed to IO DG Wu. WEINSTEIN