*EPF306 06/18/2003
Text: McConnell Says Burma's Ambassador to U.S. Should Be Sent Home
(Senator's remarks at press briefing June 18) (470)

Senator Mitch McConnell (Republican of Kentucky) says Burma's ambassador to the United States should be sent back to Rangoon and not allowed to return to America until Aung San Suu Kyi and fellow democrats are freed.

The Kentucky Republican and Deputy Majority Leader is the second most powerful Republican lawmaker in the Senate and has been a consistent and outspoken critic of the Rangoon regime.

McConnell said in remarks at a June 18 news conference on Capitol Hill that a report on Burma by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) released the same day contains recommendations that are "sound and should be considered and acted upon" by the Bush administration. McConnell served on the CFR task force that drew up the report.

McConnell, along with Senator Dianne Feinstein (Democrat of California), hailed the report and criticized the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the ruling military authority in Burma.

Following is the text of the June 18 news release from the Office of Senator Mitch McConnell:

(begin text)

Press Release of Senator McConnell

Senator McConnell Joins Council On Foreign Relations Independent Task Force To Unveil Report On Burma

Wednesday, June 18, 2003

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell today applauded a report released by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Independent Task Force on Burma - "Burma: A Time for Change." During a press conference on Capitol Hill, Senators McConnell (R-KY) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and the Chair of the CFR Task Force, Mathea Falco, unveiled the report and discussed its findings.

Senator McConnell, who is a member of the Task Force, said "the report's many recommendations are sound and should be considered and acted upon by the Administration and the United Nations."

"For over a decade, the repressive and illegitimate State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has consistently abused the human rights and dignity of the people of Burma," said McConnell. "While this is documented in the Task Force report, it includes such atrocities as murder, rape, torture, child and forced labor, and violent suppression of freedom."

"One recommendation not included in the report: diplomatic relations with Burma should be downgraded by sending Burma's ambassador in Washington back to Rangoon until such a time that Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners are freed."

McConnell added, "We need a forceful response to the junta's blatant attack on democracy. It is not enough to free Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. The junta's game of 'catch and release' has gotten old. Pressure should only be lifted when dialogue leads to the successful conclusion of Burma's struggle for freedom."

Copies of the CFR Independent Task Force of Burma report is available online at www.cfr.org.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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