EBO
News Summary:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
2.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Press Release
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
SW1A 2AH
Tel. 020 7008 2460
In a series of meetings and telephone
calls today, FCO Minister Mike O'Brien
highlighted increasing concern over the situation in
political progress there.
Mr O'Brien met the United Nations
Secretary General's Special Envoy to
Razali Ismail; the
Burmese Ambassador in
to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the
Burmese democracy movement.
Mr O'Brien told Razali
Ismael of his 'concern over the deteriorating
economic,
humanitarian and political situation in
have to toughen unless the Burmese authorities
show real commitment to reform'.
Mr O'Brien made clear the
and underlined the
national reconciliation in
Mike O'Brien told Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
that 'the
the Burmese regime's claims that the
political process in
forward - this had led to severe disappointment
around the world. A process
of reform in
including the army. This could be achieved if
Senior General Than Shwe
could
demonstrate statesmanship'.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said 'the National
League for Democracy is seeking
to improve the economic, humanitarian and
political situation in
there was no sign that the authorities were
rising to meet this challenge'.
Mike O'Brien later met the Burmese
Ambassador to the
home the extent of the 'deep concern about the
economic, humanitarian and
politic situation in
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi'. He asked Dr Kyaw
Win to impress upon the Burmese
authorities that 'a genuine process of reform would
lead to improved links and
cooperation. But we needed to see tangible signs of
progress if relations were
not to worsen'.
---------------------------------
it could initiate comprehensive talks with
an alliance of rebel groups, saying
it would only negotiate individual ceasefire
deals with legitimate ethnic
groups.
"Up to now, the government has not
changed its policy with regard to peace
talks with anti-government organizations,"
Major General Kyaw Win, deputy
chief of military intelligence, told reporters
at the weekend during a trip to
remote border areas.
"We'll do these peace talks on a
one-on-one basis, not collectively," he
said.
Officials also stressed that
to be armed splinter factions of ethnic
groups that had already sat
down at the negotiating table with the
government.
"No new directives have been handed
down, and that is the situation as it
stands," added San Bwint,
the department chief of military intelligence.
The officials were reacting to last
month's announcement by the Military
Alliance Group, a grouping of five rebel
militias, that it welcomed Thai Prime
Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra's promise to push for the
down for talks.
Thaksin visited
he said told him they would talk with
minority groups.
The Military Alliance Group, which
includes longstanding
the Shan State Army (SSA) and the Karen
National Union (KNU), had met in
future talks with
The government says it acknowledged that
the KNU represent the Karen, but
it considers the SSA a breakaway faction of
a Shan group that already
negotiated a ceasefire and therefore rejects any
deal with the SSA other than
surrender.
Tens of thousands of villagers have been
displaced as a result of the
conflicts, with many of them living in refugee
camps on the Thai side of the
border.
###
If you do not wish to receive this daily newsletters,
please reply
with your e-mail address and the
"cancel" in the text section.
With many thanks,