Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09RANGOON664
2009-09-28 10:15:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Rangoon
Cable title:
SUBJECT: BURMA: ASSK LETTER TO THAN SHWE SEEKS TO
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000664
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EAP AND IO; PACOM FOR FPA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM BM
SUBJECT: SUBJECT: BURMA: ASSK LETTER TO THAN SHWE SEEKS TO
OPEN DIALOGUE ON SANCTIONS
REF: REF: RANGOON 659
Classified By: P/E Chief Jennifer A. Harhigh for Reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000664
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EAP AND IO; PACOM FOR FPA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM BM
SUBJECT: SUBJECT: BURMA: ASSK LETTER TO THAN SHWE SEEKS TO
OPEN DIALOGUE ON SANCTIONS
REF: REF: RANGOON 659
Classified By: P/E Chief Jennifer A. Harhigh for Reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)
1. (C) National League for Democracy (NLD) Spokesman Nyan
Win told us September 26 that during a September 25 meeting
with her lawyers, Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK) finalized and
signed a personal letter to Than Shwe regarding sanctions.
Nyan Win gave one copy of the letter to Police Special Branch
and also put the registered letter in the mail to Than Shwe
September 26. Nyan Win provided us a copy September 27. The
letter includes an ASSK request to meet with the U.S., the
EU, and Australia. See paragraph 3 for Embassy comment.
2. (SBU) Begin unofficial Embassy translation:
Senior General Than Shwe
Chairman
State Peace and Development Council
Nay Pyi Taw
Date: September 25, 2009
Subject: The Removal (or revocation) of Sanctions Imposed on
Myanmar
On September 9, 2009, I requested special branch police to
pass on the following proposal, and my intention to cooperate
on the aforementioned subject.
I propose to cooperate with the SPDC to lift the sanctions
imposed on Myanmar.
In order to lift sanctions, it is necessary for all
stakeholders to understand:
a) All of the facts about sanctions,
b) The scope of (economic) loss caused by sanctions,
c) The opinions of the countries imposing the sanctions.
In that respect, I would like to request meetings with:
a) The U.S. Charge d, Affaires in Myanmar,
b) An Ambassador representing the EU in Myanmar,
c) The Australian Ambassador in Myanmar.
Furthermore, I would like to request a meeting with the NLD
to discuss their opinions on the matter.
Respectfully,
//S//
Aung San Suu Kyi
End unofficial translation.
Comment
--------------
3. (C) To our knowledge, this is the first personal letter
from ASSK to Than Shwe. The NLD has distributed it widely.
Some in the media are speculating that ASSK has changed her
views on sanctions. This is not clear. It does appear,
however, that ASSK is taking advantage of the opportunity
posed by the USG policy review to restate her openness to
unconditional dialogue with the regime, including on
sanctions. Openness to dialogue has been a common ASSK
refrain, repeated most recently in her meeting with Senator
Webb. Than Shwe's response to a previous ASSK dialogue
request in October 2007 was to call on ASSK first to renounce
sanctions and other negative policies the GOB accused her of
advocating. Via the NLD, ASSK denied holding the negative
views in the first place and argued she could not renounce
what she had not held. In effect, ASSK may now be signaling
that the NLD is ready and willing to take up the dialogue
process the USG envisions in its new engagement strategy,
RANGOON 00000664 002 OF 002
which, if successful would result in removal of sanctions.
That puts the onus on the GOB to be similarly forthcoming,
and it accents the message to us last week (reftel) that the
NLD wants to be intimately involved in USG-GOB discussions on
Burma's political future. We are curious to see how Than
Shwe responds.
DINGER
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EAP AND IO; PACOM FOR FPA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM BM
SUBJECT: SUBJECT: BURMA: ASSK LETTER TO THAN SHWE SEEKS TO
OPEN DIALOGUE ON SANCTIONS
REF: REF: RANGOON 659
Classified By: P/E Chief Jennifer A. Harhigh for Reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)
1. (C) National League for Democracy (NLD) Spokesman Nyan
Win told us September 26 that during a September 25 meeting
with her lawyers, Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK) finalized and
signed a personal letter to Than Shwe regarding sanctions.
Nyan Win gave one copy of the letter to Police Special Branch
and also put the registered letter in the mail to Than Shwe
September 26. Nyan Win provided us a copy September 27. The
letter includes an ASSK request to meet with the U.S., the
EU, and Australia. See paragraph 3 for Embassy comment.
2. (SBU) Begin unofficial Embassy translation:
Senior General Than Shwe
Chairman
State Peace and Development Council
Nay Pyi Taw
Date: September 25, 2009
Subject: The Removal (or revocation) of Sanctions Imposed on
Myanmar
On September 9, 2009, I requested special branch police to
pass on the following proposal, and my intention to cooperate
on the aforementioned subject.
I propose to cooperate with the SPDC to lift the sanctions
imposed on Myanmar.
In order to lift sanctions, it is necessary for all
stakeholders to understand:
a) All of the facts about sanctions,
b) The scope of (economic) loss caused by sanctions,
c) The opinions of the countries imposing the sanctions.
In that respect, I would like to request meetings with:
a) The U.S. Charge d, Affaires in Myanmar,
b) An Ambassador representing the EU in Myanmar,
c) The Australian Ambassador in Myanmar.
Furthermore, I would like to request a meeting with the NLD
to discuss their opinions on the matter.
Respectfully,
//S//
Aung San Suu Kyi
End unofficial translation.
Comment
--------------
3. (C) To our knowledge, this is the first personal letter
from ASSK to Than Shwe. The NLD has distributed it widely.
Some in the media are speculating that ASSK has changed her
views on sanctions. This is not clear. It does appear,
however, that ASSK is taking advantage of the opportunity
posed by the USG policy review to restate her openness to
unconditional dialogue with the regime, including on
sanctions. Openness to dialogue has been a common ASSK
refrain, repeated most recently in her meeting with Senator
Webb. Than Shwe's response to a previous ASSK dialogue
request in October 2007 was to call on ASSK first to renounce
sanctions and other negative policies the GOB accused her of
advocating. Via the NLD, ASSK denied holding the negative
views in the first place and argued she could not renounce
what she had not held. In effect, ASSK may now be signaling
that the NLD is ready and willing to take up the dialogue
process the USG envisions in its new engagement strategy,
RANGOON 00000664 002 OF 002
which, if successful would result in removal of sanctions.
That puts the onus on the GOB to be similarly forthcoming,
and it accents the message to us last week (reftel) that the
NLD wants to be intimately involved in USG-GOB discussions on
Burma's political future. We are curious to see how Than
Shwe responds.
DINGER