GOA LEADERS CONDEMN AUNG SAN SUU KYI CONVICTION

UNCLAS VIENNA 001029 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS (SCHEIBE) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL BM AU SUBJECT: GOA LEADERS CONDEMN AUNG SAN SUU KYI CONVICTION REF: STATE 83598 Polchief delivered reftel points August 12 to Bernhard Zimburg, MFA Director for East Asia and the Pacific, and Bruno Bilek, Zimburg's deputy. A number of GOA leaders condemned the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK) in public statements August 12. FM Spindelegger called on the Burmese government to release ASSK and all other political prisoners immediately and unconditionally. He also urged the government to engage in a dialogue with the democratic opposition. Parliamentary President Barbara Prammer also called for ASSK's release, and said her conviction was a violation of human rights and democracy. Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Austria's UN mission in New York told reporters the GOA supports a U.S. draft statement on the arrest. HOH