POLES AGREE WITH U.S. POSITION ON BURMA

C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 001195 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CE (GLANTZ) AND EAP/MLS (SCHEIBE) E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/04/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV BM PL SUBJECT: POLES AGREE WITH U.S. POSITION ON BURMA REF: A. STATE 121789 ¶B. WARSAW 1006 Classified By: Political Counselor F. Daniel Sainz for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Poland fully agrees with the U.S. position on Burma, as outlined in Ref A, and will press the EU to support democratic reform in Burma. Danuta Bolimowska, First Counselor in the MFA's Asia-Pacific Department, said Poland had limited influence bilaterally, but she thought U.S. re-engagement with Burmese authorities will provide greater impetus for the EU to synchronize its position with Washington. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: As Ref B noted, Poland champions the cause of democratic opposition movements, including in Burma, and believes it can share its experience with a successful transition from communism. Warsaw will continue to be a solid supporter of the National League for Democracy and will argue within the EU that the Union should press Burmese authorities to engage in genuine political dialogue in advance of next year's elections. END COMMENT. FEINSTEIN