Dan Boyle
Ceist:451 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the measures the Government has taken to express its concern to the Burmese govern ment at the current condition of Aung San Suu Kyi. [21333/03]
Written Answers. - Human Rights Abuses.
I am gravely concerned at the situation of Nobel Prize winner, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in Burma. Deputies will be aware that she has been in custody since her re-arrest earlier in the summer. Deputies will also be aware that I issued a statement on 4 September, in which I called for her release and reiterated our belief that this is essential to the process of national reconciliation in Burma. Media reports over the past weekend have said that Aung San Suu Kyi has been released into house-arrest, at her home, following a period in hospital. I welcome this as a first step towards her full release.
The United Nations Secretary General's special representative for Burma, Mr. Razali Ismail, begins his latest visit to Burma today. We fully support his mission and maintain regular contact with him. It is expected that during this visit, he will have an opportunity to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi. Officials of my Department met with Dr. Sein Win, head of the Burmese government-in-exile, in September and were briefed by him and his delegation on the current situation in Burma, the road-map provided by the government-in-exile. This is the latest in a series of meetings my officials continue to have with parties concerned with Burma.
The EU common position on Burma, which provides for a visa ban on members of the regime and a freeze on all their financial assets in the European Union, is due for review later this month. Ireland, together with our EU partners, will discuss what further revisions may be necessary in view of recent developments there. The EU also carried out a series of démarches in June and July 2003 in the capitals of ASEAN member states and other regional players – China, Japan, India, Korea – urging them to use their influence in Burma to effect the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. In this regard, I welcome the recent efforts made by the former foreign minister of Indonesia, Ali Alatas, and by the Japanese government.
The issue of Burma was also discussed at the ASEM foreign ministers meeting in Indonesia in July 2003, and Ministers called, in their conclusions, on the government of Burma to release Aung San Suu Kyi immediately and to resume its efforts towards national reconciliation and the restoration of democracy. Discussions with China on the issue of Burma recently took place at official level in New York. The EU expressed its particular concern at the downward spiral perceivable in Burma, at the deteriorating economic situation, the political stalemate, the human rights violations and the worrying humanitarian situation. The EU side also conveyed its disappointment at the consistently negative Burmese reaction to events and the lack of credible commitment to change from the regime there.
At the External Relations Council in April 2003, the EU member states decided to make an exception to the ban on official visits to Burma, to allow an EU troika, at political level, to travel there to convey the EU's position to all interested parties. However, concerns about the level at which the troika would be received following the events of 30 May 2003 and the effectiveness of such a mission at that time led EU partners to decide subsequently that it would not go ahead. The possibility of a troika mission, at some future date, has not been ruled out. We will continue to take every opportunity to register our serious concern at the practices of the Burmese regime and with our EU partners, closely review events in Burma.