BurmaNet News: December 17, 2000

[strider@xxxxxxxxxxx]

______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
________December 17, 2000   Issue # 1686_________


INSIDE BURMA _______
*Times of India: CII (ER) delegation to visit Myanmar tomorrow

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*The Hindu (New Delhi) : 300 Myanmarese fishermen in Andaman prisons
*Asia Times: EU-Asean strike compromise on Burma 
*Sidney Morning Herald: Human rights low on the agenda

ECONOMY/BUSINESS _______
*Burma Courier: Low Rates, Huge Power Losses Plague Electric System
*Xinhua: Myanmar's Trade with 5 Western Countries Down in 8 Months
*The Myanmar Times: Burma: Rice prices reportedly lowest in a decade
*Xinhua: Chinese Company Delivers Passenger Ship for Myanmar IWT 

OPINION/EDITORIALS_______
*The Nation:  Despite hype, nothing new from Rangoon 
*Govt of France: Letter from the French foreign office answering to a 
letter sent by Info Birmanie concerning the EU/ASEAN meeting in 
Vientiane

The BurmaNet News is viewable online at:
http://theburmanetnews.editthispage.com


__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________


Times of India: CII (ER) delegation to visit Myanmar tomorrow 

Dec. 17, 2000

CALCUTTA: An eight-member delegation of the Confederation of Indian 
Industries (Eastern Region) leaves for Myanmar on Sunday for 
strengthening bilateral cooperation in business ventures. 

The delegation led by CII (ER) chairman Sumit Mazumder would focus on 
joint ventures, setting up industrial projects, mining ventures and 
cultivation of tea, according to a release here on Saturday. 

The visit was a follow-up to the earlier visit by a high level 
delegation from Myanmar, which had held discussions with the Centre and 
CII, it said. 

The CII delegation would meet the ministers of commerce, agriculture and 
mines of Myanmar during its visit. (PTI)





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___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
				

The Hindu (New Delhi) : 300 Myanmarese fishermen in Andaman prisons

December 17, 2000 

By Our Staff Reporter 

CHENNAI, DEC. 16. About 300 fishermen, who drifted from Myanmar, are in 
various prisons and care homes in the eastern States of the country.  

A majority are in the Andamans, said Mr. P.B. Chowdhury, the Myanmarese 
Embassy representative who handles the issue. ``We have about 300 in 
Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Only recently we were able to secure 
clearances for about 80 persons.  

They have gone back. We are still waiting for clearances for the 
remaining,'' he said. Once a ``plane-load of fishermen were ready with 
the requisite clearances,'' Myanmar planned to operate a special flight 
after securing permission.  

Despite the improved relations between India and Myanmar, there were 
still many problems in sending back `genuine' fishermen who landed in 
Indian shores, Mr. Chowdhury told The Hindu.  
The normal duration of `stay' for such groups of fishermen here was 
about two to two-and-a-half years. ``The procedures take a long time to 
settle, since it involves at least three Ministries here and the 
cross-verification part in Myanmar,'' he said.  

Since the main `drifters' are fishermen, the Fisheries Ministry comes 
into the picture, once the primary legal issues are settled.  

Then the Union Home Ministry has to clear them, after certifying them as 
bona fide fishermen. After this, the Ministry of External Affairs has to 
settle the immigration issues.
  
``Though the Overseas Indian's Organisation and the local immigration 
authorities here have shown the way, this example is not followed in 
other States and Andamans,'' Mr. Chowdhury said.  						

The Overseas Indian's Organisation, which takes care of fishermen who 
drift into Tamil Nadu, had requested the Immigration Department in 
Chennai to look into the Myanmarese fishermen's issue and clear them 
from here itself.  

``Clearances in Delhi take a long time since they have to go to various 
Ministries. I am told that there are seen about 1,000 files of fishermen 
from Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka still 
pending,'' says Mr. Gurumurthy, secretary, Overseas Indian's 
Organisation, who plans to set up a centre in Chennai to deal with the 
problem.  

The northern-most part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is hardly 
about 400 miles from the Myanmarese coast-line.  

Till recently, there was no serious patrolling in these waters.  

With the upgradation of security status of the islands following the 
reported incidents of gun-running and other illegal activities, more 
fishermen are being caught by the Indian security agencies and lodged in 
prisons in the Islands.    


___________________________________________________


Asia Times: EU-Asean strike compromise on Burma 


By Fred Thurlow 

Asia Times Online, December 15, 2000 

Coincidence or not, the very day Burmese foreign minister hinted his 
government will release Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, the 
pro-democracy leader who is under house arrest, Amnesty International 
released a report roundly condemning Rangoon's humanitarian record.  

On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Win Aung told officials at the 13th 
Asean-EU Ministerial Meeting (AEMM) in Vientiane, Laos, that the 
government had lifted restrictions on some opposition leaders and would 
lift restrictions on some others "at the appropriate time". 
 
EU representatives interpreted this to refer to Suu Kyi, the head of the 
National League for Democracy (NLD), which won elections in 1990 but was 
prevented from taking power by the military junta. Win Aung added Burma 
would welcome a European team to Burma in January, and would allow it to 
meet with Suu Kyi.  

The Amnesty International report, meanwhile, alleged widespread use of 
torture in Burma, saying "torture is used as an instrument to keep the 
population living in a state of fear. The police and the army continue 
to use torture to extract information, punish, humiliate and control the 
population." The report said criminal prisoners and members of ethnic 
minorities are also subject to torture and that women are subject to 
rape by soldiers.  

A government spokesman responded in an official statement that "the 
government of Burma shares the same concern and interest as Amnesty 
International. Burma cooperates with the International Committee of the 
Red Cross (ICRC) and Australia's Human Rights Commission."  

In May 1999, Burma regime allowed the ICRC access to prisons, leading to 
some reported improvements in conditions. Earlier this year, Australia 
began running courses on human rights for Burma officials.  

Win Aung also told the AEMM there was no problem with human rights in 
Burma. "We don't have violations of human rights ... I can simply tell 
the [ministers] what's happening in our country and I am not afraid to 
face this sort of criticism."  

The United States on Wednesday welcomed the hint at Suu Kyi's release. 
In Washington, a State Department official said the US hoped Burmese 
ruling generals would follow up on the pledge. The US is one of Suu 
Kyi's strongest supporters. President Bill Clinton last week conferred 
America's highest civilian honor, the presidential medal of freedom, on 
her and pledged unending US support for her quest for democracy.  

The two-day talks in Vientiane were dominated by the topic of human 
rights in Burma, with officials meeting each other halfway, and also 
agreeing to strengthen trade ties. The foreign ministers' meeting had 
been suspended for the past three years because of differences over 
Burma. In Vientiane, European countries had their way by forcing a 
discussion on Burma.  

However, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which says human 
rights in Burma are an internal issue, ensured the joint statement 
issued at the end of the meeting (see below) carried a weaker reference 
to the situation in Burma than Europe had wanted.  

The statement backed the efforts by Razali Ismail, the United Nation's 
secretary-general's special envoy to Burma, to forge a reconciliation 
between Burmese junta and the opposition NLD party. It also expressed 
the hope that Razali's efforts would lead to an "early dialogue" between 
the junta and the NLD.
  

[Abridged] text of the Vientiane Declaration

We, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the European 
Union (EU) met in Vientiane on December 11-12, 2000 for the 13th 
Asean-EU Ministerial Meeting (AEMM) under the co-chairmanship of the Lao 
People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and France, acting as Presidency 
of the Council of EU.  

The Kingdom of Cambodia, the Lao PDR and the Union of Burma participated 
for the first time at the Ministerial Meeting. We held an intensive and 
constructive exchange of views on strengthening Asean-EU relations, and 
on wide-ranging issues encompassing international and regional 
political, security and economic issues. The meeting was held in the 
Asean-EU spirit of cordiality, mutual understanding and confidence.  



We committed ourselves to promote and protect all human rights, 
including the right to development, and fundamental freedoms, bearing in 
mind their universal, indivisible and interdependent character as 
expressed at the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna.  

We had a frank discussion of developments in Burma, including the 
decision taken by the Governing Body of the International Labor Office 
on 16 November 2000.  

[The Governing Body in Geneva called for sanctions against Burma for the 
persistent use of forced labor. It urged its member states, private 
companies and other international bodies to "review their links with 
Burma and take appropriate measures to ensure it cannot take advantage 
of such relations to perpetuate or extend the system of forced or 
compulsory labor".]  

We expressed full support for the efforts made by Mr Razali Ismail, the 
UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy, and hoped they would contribute to 
a positive development in the process of national reconciliation in 
Burma, including an early dialogue between the State Peace and 
Development Council (SPDC), the NLD and other relevant parties.  


___________________________________________________


Sidney Morning Herald: Human rights low on the agenda


Date: 16/12/2000

By Hamish McDonald, Foreign Editor 

A new Republican administration under George W.Bush is likely to look 
out to Asia with a stronger focus on defence issues, and less interest 
in human rights, labour standards and perhaps democratic reforms than 
the outgoing Clinton presidency.

Allies in the region, such as Australia, are likely to get a more 
sympathetic hearing in Washington, but will be expected to shape up 
better as loyal defence partners. 

Key positions in the State and Defence departments and the National 
Security Council will be filled by hawkish figures who made their names 
on the defence side of the Reagan and Bush snr administrations. 
Clinton, by contrast, had looked more to corporate law and trade 
experts.

The crucial pivot of American policy will be the handling of the 
triangular United States-China-Japan strategic relationship, and its 
Korean peninsula sideshow, on which the overall level of regional 
tension will depend.

The Bush team is generally expected to be less respectful of the "One 
China" policy by giving clearer defence guarantees to Taiwan, and less 
inclined to engage with Beijing, which Bush has described as a strategic 
"competitor", in contrast to Clinton's line that China is a "strategic 
partner".

Bush is more likely to support a "robust" national missile defence 
system, which would call into question China's small nuclear deterrent 
force and possibly force it into a faster and expensive nuclear 
build-up.

If a theatre missile shield was offered to Japan, the more so if it 
covered Taiwan as well, Beijing would feel it was being put on the spot 
over recovering the breakaway island. 

One of Bush's key defence advisors, former deputy defence secretary 
Richard Armitage, even warned last year that if it came to conflict over 
Taiwan, Washington would expect Australia to share the "dirty, hard and 
dangerous work".

In that extreme case, with the long-range Collins-class submarines being 
brought to full operational readiness, and the latest Defence White 
Paper announcing an upgrade for our F-111 strike aircraft, Australia 
will not be able to plead lack of capability. 

It would be a nightmarish decision.

But tensions over Taiwan have eased since the island's elections in May, 
and much will depend on China's behaviour. In addition, missile defence 
is still unproven technically and raises major problems in further arms 
reduction measures with Russia. In office, these hurdles may loom larger 
to Bush than they did on the campaign trail.

The Bush team is inclined to stress the primacy of Japan as its defence 
partner in Asia - in an echo of the "Ron-Yasu" (Reagan-Nakasone) duo's 
squeeze on the dying Soviet Union in the 1980s.

As well as alarming China at the start of a new Asian "containment" 
policy, this will renew stress on the war-renouncing Article 9 of 
Japan's postwar Constitution and possibly give a lifeline to its failing 
conservative politicians.

The security emphasis may preclude any risk-taking with American forces 
in North-East Asia, such as pulling the unpopular US Marine garrison in 
Okinawa back to Guam, or reducing the American "tripwire" force in South 
Korea.

However, the Republicans will be less interested in using sanctions to 
force internal structural changes. China, Burma and Indonesia will face 
less pressure on democratic reforms and labour issues.

The administration would be less inclined to insist on political strings 
to IMF and World Bank aid. But the flipside is an objection to economic 
bail-outs.

Clinton's tough line towards reform of the Indonesian military, and a 
clean-up of the West Timor militias, may be toned down and a drift back 
to authoritarian rule in Jakarta accepted.

Henry Kissinger, the mentor of many Bush advisers, recently joined the 
board of Freeport McMoran, which runs the giant gold and copper mine in 
West Papua. Washington may place renewed stress on Indonesia's national 
unity.

In South Asia, the Republicans may be inclined to restore relations with 
military-ruled Pakistan, reversing Clinton's tilt towards New Delhi, 
which acknowledges India's emerging economic importance.

The Republicans will have to grapple with the fraying sanctions around 
Iraq, while, with Iran, big oil is likely to speak loudest, and 
Washington is likely to let American firms compete with European rivals 
for Iranian and Central Asian natural gas and oil.

If some of the pre-election Republican pronouncements have been 
belligerent, the focus of the expected seniormost foreign policy 
officials - Colin Powell as secretary of state and Condoleeza Rice as 
national security adviser - will be on Europe and the Middle East. 

The key diplomatic position for our region, assistant secretary of state 
for east Asian affairs, is tipped to go to James A.Kelly, who was a 
Pentagon official and a member of the National Security Council in the 
Reagan administration.

Now presiding over the Pacific Forum/Centre for Strategic and 
International Studies in Hawaii, Kelly is well acquainted with 
counterparts across the region, and would be a cautious, reassuring face 
for the administration.

Asian policy will increasingly get the Bush administration's attention, 
as the next summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum will 
be held in Shanghai in November 2001, by which time Bush must have his 
China policies in shape.



_______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
 

Burma Courier: Low Rates, Huge Power Losses Plague Electric System

 No. 249 Dec 16, 2000


Based on news from Xinhua, MTBR, Courier files:  December 12, 2000 

RANGOON - Burma's production of electricity is rising slowly, but the 
country loses more than a third of the power it produces.

Stats released this week by the national statistical bureau showed that 
the state-run Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise  (MEPE) generated almost 
3,300 million kilowatt hours, up more than 21% over last year's total of 
 2,720 million kwh for the same period.  If the trend continues, figures 
could even exceed record production of more than 4,800 million kwh 
generated in 1997-8. 

But the country is facing a major problem in its transmission system, 
according to government expert, Dr Thein Tun, who was speaking at a 
recent seminar on Burma's renewable and non-renewable energy resources. 
 . "As the distribution facilities are very old, one-third of the total 
power generated is wasted due to technical loss," he said.  "And 
frequent power outages are weakening the country's economic activities."

He was responding to remarks made by Fuse Kazuo, of Japan's Electric 
Power Development Corporation, who suggested that power consumers in 
Burma would be willing to pay more to have access to improved 
electricity supplies.  A survey conducted by a market research group 
found that consumers would be willing to pay an unregulated market price 
for uninterrupted power supplies, he said. 

However, the idea of charging sustainable rates to all consumers does 
not conform to existing government policy, according to Dr. Thein Tun, 
who argued that affordability of power for consumers rather than an 
efficient distribution system should be the key consideration in 
calculating charges. 

Official electricity tariffs in the country fall into several 
categories: general residential consumers; government organizations, 
public servants and pensioners; and commercial and industrial consumers. 
 But half of the total electricity supplied annually is used by 
consumers who use no more than 200 kilowatt per hour per month and who 
are entitled to pay at a rate of 0.5 kyats ($US .0025) per kilowatt 
hour.

A World Bank study (November, 1999) estimated that unit costs for 
producing and distributing electricity were more than three times the 
discounted rate. The WB study noted that the discount price was also 
available to state enterprises, government departments and religious 
buildings.  Other users have been paying 25 kyats ($US .0625) per hour 
since March 1999 when prices were increased by a 1000%.

The installed generating capacity of MEPE reached 1,172 megawatts at the 
end of August this year.  By comparison, Thailand's generating capacity 
stands at approximately 20,000 MW.  MEPE estimates that about 20% of the 
people have access to electricity but the World Bank study suggested 
that, with a million customers, the national electricity corporation was 
servicing only about 12.5% of the homes in the country.

___________________________________________________


Xinhua: Myanmar's Trade with 5 Western Countries Down in 8 Months

YANGON, December 17 (Xinhua) -- Bilateral trade between Myanmar and five 
western industrialized countries -- France, Germany, Japan, the United 
Kingdom (UK) and the United States (U.S.) -- totaled 350 million U.S. 
dollars in the first eight months of this year, down by 10.5 percent 
from the same period of 1999, according to the latest government-issued 
Economic Indicators. Of the total, Myanmar's import from the five 
countries amounted to 241.76 million dollars, while its export to them 
was valued at 108.24 million dollars. The bilateral trade between 
Myanmar and the five western industrialized countries during the 
eight-month period accounted for only 13.4 percent of Myanmar's total 
foreign trade. Of them, Myanmar's bilateral trade with Japan represented 
the highest volume with 192.97 million dollars or 7.39 percent of 
Myanmar's total foreign trade, followed by that with U.



The Myanmar Times: Burma: Rice prices reportedly lowest in a decade


Text of report in English by Burmese newspaper The Myanmar Times web 
site on 11 December 

The price of rice has plummeted post-harvest this year for the first 
time in more than a decade. The wholesale price of the monsoon paddy 
Emata, the most commonly consumed rice variety grown here, at only 1350 
kyat-2100 kyat per 1.5 basket (54 kg) is less than half its price at 
this time last year. The price of the more upmarket PawKywe variety, and 
of the top range Pawsanhmwe paddy, has each dropped by 30-40 per cent 
compared to prices in the 1999 November-December post-harvest season for 
early-maturing paddies. PawKywe normally fetches 1800 kyat-2300 kyat per 
1.5 basket, and Pawsanhmwe between 2600 kyat and 4500 kyat per 1.5 
basket. The former is typically eaten by middle-class Myanmar Burma 
people and the latter by the upper echelons of society. 

"The extent to which prices have fallen varies depending upon each 
variety but generally speaking, prices have fallen by 50 per cent," said 
U Nyein, a rice merchant in Yangon Rangoon and also the president of the 
Myanmar Rice Wholesalers' Association. "Later grown paddy will come out 
in early December. The prices of paddy might then be pushed further 
down," he said. There were both domestic and regional factors at play in 
the scenario, U Nyein said. "The regions where we distributed rice last 
year have now become self-sufficient in rice because some of their land 
has become cultivable thanks to availability of water from newly-built 
dams. 

"Another factor is that the economies of the countries which usually 
import rice from our country are not healthy." Farmers have been able to 
trade rice freely in the country since 1987. Since then, they have 
experienced no significant price fluctuations and this season marks the 
first time that sale prices will only just cover their costs. Most 
farmers were not willing to sell their paddy under those circumstances, 
U Nyein said. "I think the prices we are facing now are the lowest that 
I can recall in years," he said. "I don't think farmers will sell their 
rice as their selling price seems to be less than their growing costs." 
Besides, most farmers have become less interested in growing winter 
paddy and summer paddy as they will need fuel oil, the prices of which 
are rising, to pump up water or plough their fields with power tillers. 

"If these costs are added, they would hardly make any profits in growing 
paddy during non-monsoon seasons," he added. Bayintnaung is the biggest 
rice market in Myanmar, where wholesale dealers have their shops. Now, 
many haulage trucks loaded with rice are stationed there awaiting 
buyers. Most of the rice consumed in Yangon is produced in Ayeyarwady 
Division, followed by Yangon and Bago Divisions. "As far as I am 
concerned, I can't foresee the prices of rice going up until August or 
September next year," U Nyein said. "What I predict is that, until then, 
there will be no price increase by any means. The current rice market is 
cool." 


___________________________________________________


Xinhua: Chinese Company Delivers Passenger Ship for Myanmar IWT 

YANGON, December 16 


A Chinese company has delivered a passenger ship, the Thallawady-6, 
built for a Myanmar inland water company. 

The double decker passenger ship, built by the Yunnan Machinery Import 
and Export Corporation (YMIEC) of China, is for the Myanmar state-run 
Inland Water Transport (IWT). 

The Thallawady-6 is one of the four built for the Myanmar IWT under a 
contract signed by the two parties. 

The ship, 37.40 meters long, 8.50 meters wide and 1.90 meters high, can 
cruise 10 nautical miles per hour. 

The ship, built at a cost of 1,451,700 U.S. dollars and 3,835, 000 kyats 
(10,957 U.S. dollars), can accommodate 25 passengers in 10 first class 
rooms installed with air-conditioners. 

Earlier, YMIEC has handed over three Thallawady ships to IWT. 



______________OPINION/EDITORIALS_________________


The Nation:  Despite hype, nothing new from Rangoon 

 Dec 16, 2000.

Once again, there was a lot of hullabaloo about the Rangoon regime's 
growing flexibility at the Asean-EU meeting in Vientiane last week. But 
on closer inspection, there was nothing new to Rangoon's position, which 
is to continue to suppress opposition groups and the Burmese people. Now 
the junta leaders want more recognition for doing just that.  

The European Union is increasingly caught in a dilemma. First and 
foremost, as it has said time and again, the EU does not want to be held 
hostage by Burma in its relations with Asean. So the EU decided to meet 
with Asean after three years of absence. More than leaders would like to 
admit, EU-Asean ties have been severely hurt by Burma's intransigence. 
Secondly, the EU does not want to give the Rangoon leaders the 
impression that their actions are acceptable.  

Burmese Foreign Minister Win Aung stated with a deadpan face that his 
country respects human rights. Willingness to discuss the topic is one 
thing. To stop repressing people is another. That was why he said there 
would not be an early dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi unless the 
opposition groups give up their fight. Why should they? They won the 
election in May 1990.  

In a way, the Vientiane meeting was a boost for Burma, after three years 
of an EU boycott. Although the EU has pledged to continue to raise human 
right issues, the Asean-EU meeting has already provided much-needed 
credentials for Burma. Asean's next move will be to try to pressure the 
EU to allow Burma to sign the EU-Asean cooperation agreement, to which 
Cambodia and Laos have acceded.  

The international community needs to maintain its vigilance against 
Burma. The longer the situation there drags on, the more the junta 
benefits. Already, there are arguments spreading around that Aung San 
Suu Kyi has been too hard-line and stubborn - that was the main reason 
why the junta leaders refused to have a dialogue with her. She also has 
been portrayed as unrealistic because, with her current posture, nothing 
has changed in a decade. So the argument goes that she should be more 
pragmatic and more conscious of the national interest. Others say she 
should to live in exile for the good of the country. These arguments are 
wrong. They condone past criminal actions and legitimise a regime that 
has robbed the country of its future.  
Many have now pinned their hopes on Ismail Razali, the UN's special 
envoy to Burma. He is scheduled to return to Rangoon early next month. 
It is possible that the junta might want to break the ice by meeting 
with the opposition through Razali's good offices. After all, it was 
Malaysia that pushed Burma into Asean. With the ongoing sanctions from 
the International Labour Organisation, the junta has put itself in a 
corner. Apparently, Razali remains the only window for Burma, and he has 
the support of the international community.  

Thailand supports his mission, knowing full well that he could become an 
honest broker for progress. So he has a daunting task: to persuade the 
junta that it is in its interests to cooperate with him and start the 
reconciliation process as soon as possible. 


___________________________________________________


Govt of France: Letter from the French foreign office answering to a 
letter sent by Info Birmanie concerning the EU/ASEAN meeting in 
Vientiane


Paris, 8 December 2000

The Minister of Foreign Affair has received your letter dated the 27th 
November where you drew his attention on the situation in Burma as well 
as on the EU-ASEAN meeting which will be held on the 11th and 12th 
December in Vientiane. I have been asked to answer you.

The situation prevailing in Burma, which is characterized by the absence 
of improvement concerning the democratization process and the 
persistency of multiple human rights abuses, is not acceptable. 
Concerned by this situation, the member states of the European Union 
have sponsored the resolution on the human rights situation in Burma, 
presented by Sweden, which has been adopted the 5th of December by the 
United NationsÆ General Assembly.

As far as forced labour is concerned, the European Union declared itself 
in favor of the implementation of new measures against Burma, during the 
meeting of the ILO governing body, the 16th of November

Furthermore, the European Union is vigorously condemning restrictions on 
Miss Aung San Suu KyiÆs freedom of movement and speech and calls on the 
Burmese authorities to put an end to them without delay.

Observing the absence of positive evolution in Burma, France and its 
European partners also decided on the 9th of October, to renew for the 
next six month their common position which had been reinforced in April 
2000.

While reinforcing these restrictive measures against Burma, the European 
Union Council held the 10th of April, reaffirmed the importance of EU 
-ASEAN relationships. The interministerial meeting in Vientiane is the 
expression of this wish to renew a dialogue between the two regional 
groups which had been blocked for three years.

This meeting would be an opportunity to exchange views concerning 
political and security issues in South East Asia, among which the 
Burmese situation is one of the most important.  Be sure that France and 
its European partners will not fail to remind their strong concerns and 
to renew their call in favor of the instigation of a dialogue between 
Rangoon authorities and the democratic opposition, in particular with 
the National League for Democracy of Miss Aung San Suu Kyi. 
Be sure that France will keep on working, individually as well as member 
of the European Union, for the restoration of democracy and the respect 
of human rights in Burma

Sincerely yours







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