Phil Hogan
Ceist:21 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reasons Ireland has established diplomatic relations with Burma; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9979/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 31 March 2004
Ceisteanna (24, 25, 26)
Seymour Crawford
Ceist:66 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the matters discussed recently at meetings held between the Government and Dr. Sein Win, Burmese Prime Minister in exile; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9980/04]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Paul Nicholas Gogarty
Ceist:73 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reasons underlying the Government’s decision to establish diplomatic relations with the military regime in Myanmar/Burma; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10077/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 21, 66 and 73 together.
The decision to establish diplomatic relations with Burma/Myanmar was taken in the context of Ireland's current Presidency of the European Union, and the need for Ireland, as EU Presidency, to be in a position to deal directly with the Burmese authorities. Of the other EU member states, only Luxembourg does not have diplomatic relations with Burma.
Our previous reticence over appointing an ambassador to Burma, however satisfying it may have been as a gesture of disapproval, manifestly had no effect on the behaviour of the Burmese authorities. As Presidency of the EU we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to speak to the Burmese authorities on behalf of the EU. We will in particular demand the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and other political prisoners, the participation of the National League for Democracy in the forthcoming national convention, a timetable for progress towards democracy and an improvement in the human rights situation in Burma.
Our ambassador designate visited Burma from 23 to 25 February. The ambassador used this opportunity to convey our views to the Burmese Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, whom he met along with other EU heads of mission. He also met with five members of the central executive committee of the National League for Democracy and with representatives of Burma's ethnic nationalities. This visit, and the access the ambassador gained, confirmed the practical value of the Government's decision to establish diplomatic relations.
Both Ireland and the EU are strongly critical of serious and persistent human rights abuses, the lack of fundamental freedoms and the absence of political progress in 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 to expire on 29 April 2004. Ireland, together with our EU partners, will discuss in due course what revisions in the Common Position, if any, may be necessary in view of developments in Burma.
On 26 March, Mr. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, addressed the current session of the Commission on Human Rights. Mr. Pinheiro, who said that he had been unable to visit Burma before the session, confirmed that the authorities have now agreed in principle to his next visit. In his statement, he recalled the events of 30 May 2003 as a setback for the overall human rights situation in Burma and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained or put under house arrest. In particular Mr. Pinheiro sought the restoration of freedom for Aung San Suu Kyi and the three members of the NLD Central Executive Committee.
Ireland continues to work with Burma's Asian neighbours to encourage them to bring their influence to bear on Rangoon. For example, the question of Burma was on the agenda for the EU Ministerial Troika to India of 16 February and was discussed during the troikas at political director level with China on 26 February and Japan on 27 February. The EU's concerns will feature in discussions at the ASEM Foreign Ministers' meeting in April 2004, which the Minister for Foreign Affairs will host in Kildare.
At the request of Burma Action Ireland, I met with Dr Sein Win, head of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, who was in Ireland from 4 to 8 March 2004 as part of a tour of European cities. I took the opportunity that our meeting provided to update Dr. Win on the background to the establishment of diplomatic relations with Burma/Myanmar and I undertook to keep Burma Action Ireland informed of any further developments in our diplomatic relations with Burma/Myanmar. We discussed the best way to promote a return to democracy in Burma/Myanmar, including through the European Union's relations with Burma/Myanmar's neighbours, and in this regard I noted that Burma/Myanmar had been on the agendas of Troika meetings with India, China and Japan in the first two months of Ireland's Presidency. Dr. Win raised the possibility of engagement with education projects for Burmese children and I invited him to contact my officials in this regard.
Our goals continue to be the return of democracy to Burma, an end to human rights violations, and the realisation of peace and prosperity for the long-suffering people of Burma. We believe that the appointment of an ambassador to Burma enlarges the platform from which Ireland can and will seek to promote these goals, goals which are also shared widely in the international community.