POLAND TO CONSIDER NATIONAL STATEMENT CONDEMNING

C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 000833 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2019 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL BM PL SUBJECT: POLAND TO CONSIDER NATIONAL STATEMENT CONDEMNING AUNG SAN SUU KYI CONVICTION REF: STATE 83598 Classified By: Political Counselor F. Daniel Sainz for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) The Polish government will consider issuing a national statement condemning this week's conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK). Danuta Bolimowska of the MFA's Asia-Pacific Department said Poland had strongly endorsed the EU's statement but thought a separate statement would convey more fully Warsaw's outrage following the conviction and continued detention of ASSK by Burmese authorities. She said the GoP was a staunch supporter of Burma's democratic movement, including ASSK, as well as that country's transition to democracy. ¶2. (C) At the same time, Bolimowska indicated that Poland was undecided about stronger sanctions against Burma. In general, she said the MFA did not believe sanctions were effective, and they often affected ordinary citizens more than the regime. In addition, Bolimowska pointed out that other countries, especially China, did not respect sanctions and in fact gained advantage over those nations that adhered to them. Although the GoP had not yet taken a position on the prospect of tighter sanctions in the future, she speculated that Warsaw would oppose them within the EU. However, Poland would likely join the EU consensus in the end, if/when the issue arose. ASHE