*EPF508 05/21/2004
Text: Burmese Junta Urged to Make Real Progress on Reconciliation
(State Dept. calls for legitimate and representative reform process) (390)

The United States regrets that the Burmese military regime has failed to create conditions that would make it possible for all representatives of Burma's democratic opposition and all ethnic groups to participate in the country's constitutional convention, according to a May 21 statement released by the U.S. Department of State. The national convention opened May 17 in Rangoon.

The statement noted growing international support for democratic reform and national reconciliation in Burma, and renewed the U.S. government's call for the release of all political prisoners in the country, including democratic opposition leaders Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo.

Following is the full text of the statement:

(begin text)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
May 21, 2004

STATEMENT BY RICHARD BOUCHER, SPOKESMAN

Burma -- The National Convention

We regret the failure of the Burmese military junta, the State Peace and Development Council, to take actions that would have made it possible for all elements of Burmese society, including all democratic representatives and all ethnic groups, to participate in the ongoing constitutional convention. A convention that does not include all of these groups cannot make any real progress towards democracy or national reconciliation, nor can it help Burma repair its international reputation. An assembly, such as the convention now under way, that lacks participation by delegates of the democratic opposition is not truly representative of the peoples of Burma and lacks legitimacy.

We repeat our call for the immediate and unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo and all other political prisoners.

We have heard a growing chorus of voices from the international community calling for credibility in the process of national reconciliation in Burma. We note that a number of countries, including countries in the region, have expressed their support for democratic reform in Burma. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has also expressed his concern and called for the release of National League for Democracy leaders, Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo, and the lifting of restrictions on the party's activities.

We urge the authorities in Burma to react positively to the concerns of the international community before yet another opportunity to bring peace, security, and prosperity to Burma is lost.

(end text)

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

Return to Public File Main Page

Return to Public Table of Contents