POLAND ON OUTCOME OF U.S. BURMA POLICY REVIEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 001006 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CE (GLANTZ) AND EAP/MSL (SCHEIBE); NSC FOR WALTON E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV BM PL SUBJECT: POLAND ON OUTCOME OF U.S. BURMA POLICY REVIEW REF: STATE 100518 Classified By: Political Counselor F. Daniel Sainz for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) (C) Danuta Bolimowska, Counselor in the MFA's Asia-Pacific Department, welcomed the shift in the U.S. approach to Burma (reftel). She thought other EU members, with the possible exception of the UK, would also endorse the shift in policy focus, which could lead to more targeted outreach to Burmese society. Contrasting the current situation in Burma with Poland's own experience under communism, Bolimowska asserted that engagement in general and people-to-people exchanges specifically, were often more effective than sanctions in bringing about regime change. But she echoed the skepticism embodied in the U.S. approach, underscoring that Burmese authorities were now under pressure to reciprocate along the lines demanded by the U.S. and the international community. TULLEY