"Dear Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner The ETUC, ICFTU and WCL are writing to you on the subject of the ?Burma Day 2005? being organized on 5 April by the European Commission. We would like to preface our remarks by emphasizing that we applaud your commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law as essential building blocks for regional security, which you articulated in Jakarta on 10 March 2005 in the context of EU-ASEAN relations. We share your view that Burma is a serious security threat because it is the exception to the regional trend of democratization and integration. We are therefore surprised by the way in which the European Commission has organized Burma Day 2005 on 5 April, and are writing to express our concern, particularly by comparison with earlier such EU initiatives. For instance, Burma Day 2003 was an excellent opportunity for the Commission and stakeholders - foreign ministries, aid agencies, non-government organizations and Burmese groups - to have a dialogue on the need to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Burma despite the political roadblocks. We had understood that Burma Day 2005, would further look at how humanitarian aid could be delivered and used to strengthen civil society in Burma. We would have welcomed such an initiative. We were therefore deeply concerned when we learned that Robert Taylor and Morten Pedersen had been commissioned to deliver a report titled ?Supporting Burma/Myanmar?s National Reconciliation Process - Challenges and Opportunities". Neither has any experience in delivering humanitarian aid or working with civil society in Burma..."