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French Press: Le Monde, KNU, TOTAL,



Subject: French Press: Le Monde, KNU, TOTAL, UN 

Le Monde, Friday's edition, 28 fev 1997, page three, upper right side
for all to see:

"The burmese army about to crush the karen guerillas ", by Le Monde's
East Asian correspondent in Bangkok, Jean-Claude Pomonti.The long
article cites TOTAL's pipeline through Thailand to supply an increase of
20% of its electricity needs, as evidence for Thai military cooperation
after decades of hostility and disorganisation. 

" The occupation of Htee Kee by the burmese army, " writes Pomonti,
"ought to establish security in the Tavoy region, where large projects
are in the stage of development: a deep-water harbor and industrial
zone, a railway and pipeline where TOTAL is the operator. The 4th
brigade of the KNU is, in effect, suspected of having been, in march
1993, the group responsible for the raid that left five dead, all
Burmans employed by TOTAL, and members of a research team on the future
pipeline. "

No figures of casualties, and Pomonti cites Slorc forces at 10 000
against 5000 in the KNU 4th and 6th brigades. Pomonti does caution
against those who think that Karen defeat will tie it up for Slorc, as 
ceasefires with other ethnic groups  depend on an illusive and fictive
National Constitution " which has never happened since the independence
of Burma in 1948 ". Pomonti declares,  "The smothering of  the Karen
insurrection will not change the terms of the equation that will
determine the future of Burma. "

Elsewhere, tonight, the UN Secretary General  tonight spoke live on
French 2 TV following horrid photos of a recent massacre in Zaire during
the current popular rebellion to overthrow  Mobutu. The UN SG spoke
about the need for an international solution to mediate the Zaire
crisis. Let us all as the US Ambassador Bill Richardson, who has met
with Suu Kyi, and ask him what he is doing for the UN to intervene to
make the same declaration for the Karens, Suu Kyi and the NLD in their
battle against Slorc.

(Fax info at bottom of this message)

Meanwhile, France, battered by the uproar over the inflammatory
anti-immigration legislation, certain to be  passed by the dominant
majority, mourns the rape and murder of four teenage girls  in an
isolated tragedy, and President Chirac and his Prime Minister Juppe gain
in popularity by the latest national poll, five and six points,
respectively.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Usefull contact information: 

US President  Bill Clinton < president@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Ambassador Bill Richardson ( United Nations US Ambassador) Fax  (212)
415 4443

All members of the House can be reached via the Congressional
Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

While some members have E-mail, electronic communication is not as
effective as a telephone call or fax.

President William Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC 20500
(202) 456-1414

Mrs.Madeleine K. Albright
Secretary of State
Department of State
Main State Building
2201 C. Street NW
Washington DC 20520-7512
(202) 647-4000

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dawn Star (Paris) (translation)
Euro-Burmanet
http://www-uvi.eunet.fr/asia/euro-burma/
http://www-uvi.eunet.fr/asia/euro-burma/total/