EBO
News Summary:
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1.
2. UN Myanmar envoy frustrated by
3. Apparel Group Pushes for Ban on Imports
From
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Wednesday complained for the first time
publicly about the lack of progress in
national reconciliation talks with the country's
ruling military junta, a
major turnaround on her usually conciliatory
stance.
"We have been concerned with the lack
of process. We should move on to a
more advanced stage. We have been forced to
question the integrity of the SPDC
(the ruling State
Peace and Development Council) and their sincerity in
achieving national reconciliation," she told
reporters.
"If they truly have the interests of
the people at heart, they have got to
come to a settlement," she said, speaking
at only the third press conference
she has given since her release from 19
months of house arrest last May.
"I have come to the conclusion that
the SPDC is not interested in national
reconciliation. We need to come to national
reconciliation quickly for the
sake of the people and the country," she
said.
Historic UN-brokered talks between Aung
San Suu Kyi and the junta began in
October 2000, but are widely known to have
ground to a halt.
When asked why she thought that the SPDC
did not want national
reconcliation she replied: "National
reconciliation is change. They don't want
change, but change is inevitable."
"It is high time to proceed from the
confidence-building stage to full
cooperation, especially in the humanitarian area,
which would lead us to
general reconciliation and dialogue," she
said.
"The SPDC has shown it is not keen to
cooperate with us in matters of
humanitarian aid. Until such time that dialogue takes
place there will be no
change in the situation."
Aung San Suu Kyi has previously maintained
a consistently conciliatory
approach to the junta, and been extremely careful
to avoid alienating the
ruling generals.
The charismatic leader also called on the
military to allow Razali Ismail,
the UN secretary-general's special envoy to
brokering the talks, to make another visit to the
country.
"As a special representative of the
secretary-general of the UN who is
working towards a dialogue he should be allowed
to visit any time he wants, go
anywhere he pleases and talk with anybody,"
she said.
"If we really respect the position of
the United Nations we should let him
come here. I think it is for Razali to decide when he should come and not have
to wait for an invitation," she said.
Sources have told AFP that Razali has made four attempts to visit the
country this year, and was now expecting to visit
the country in May.
Aung San Suu Kyi also said that her
party's support for economic sanctions
remained in place.
"We have never called for economic
sanctions. But our policy with regards
to sanctions remains unchanged until such
time as negotiations take place,"
she said.
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UN Myanmar envoy frustrated by
Yangon, seeks visit
By Patrick Chalmers
said on Monday he wanted to return there at
once for another try at brokering talks
between the military government and the
opposition led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
The veteran Malaysian diplomat was last in
Asian country also
known as
He said he was now waiting for a fresh
invitation from the ruling military to return.
''I am concerned that I have not gone back
there for more than five and
a half months,'' Razali
told Reuters in an interview.
''I think it is very important that I be
given a chance to go back to
Frustrated with the lack of progress on
dialogue on political reform in
Razali said in November he was considering
giving up his post.
He later said he would soldier on.
The
saying in an unusually conciliatory statement it
had ''complete trust'' in her
commitment to ensuring the ''smooth and stable
development of
The text, issued to deny allegations
security personnel had harassed Suu Kyi
during her travels outside the capital
constructive dialogue, particularly on education,
health and economic development.
But Razali
played down hopes the statement signalled a breakthrough and said
the military was apparently only being
positive in connection with Suu Kyi's
movements, not political dialogue, as initially
thought.
''We all grabbed at something indicative of
much bigger than what it is,''
Razali said of the military's statement. ''I had
hoped so, I would have been
delighted if this had been so.''
Razali said the military government's failure to
extend him a fresh invitation
to visit was not a good sign.
''It's going to the point where it's
negative. The international community must
draw its own conclusions,'' he said.
Razali rejected the suggestion the military was
stalling for time on reform,
saying there were reasons for delays. But he
said he wanted the generals
to honour their commitment.
''I would hold the government to the
public commitment that they've made -- that
they are the last military government in
of transition.''
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Apparel Group Pushes for Ban on
Imports From
Thursday,
By Kirstin
Downey
Activists who have pressured American
companies in recent years to stop importing
goods from
unexpected source this week: A trade group
representing
clothing wholesalers announced it would lobby for
a total ban on textiles, apparel
and footwear from the Asian country.
"It's kind of a precedent,"
Kevin M. Burke, head of the Arlington-based American
Apparel & Footwear Association, said
in an interview. "We're usually on the other side
on issues like this. But in this case, it's
the right thing for our industry to be doing."
Burke said his group's decision was
partially driven by the fact that many of his
members have already pledged not to buy goods
from
facing competition from other firms that have
ignored moral ambiguities in pursuit
of market share. "But a couple cents
here and there means nothing
when you're talking about human lives,"
he said.
Prominent members of the trade group's
social responsibility committee, which has
highlighted ethical concerns in a global economy,
include executives at Sara Lee Corp.
and Jones Apparel Group Inc., both of which
refuse to buy goods made in
Others balking at Burmese goods include
the TJX Cos., Nautica Enterprises Inc.
and Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp.
Burmese imports to the
in 2000 but fell to $356 million by 2002,
after some companies stopped buying there,
according to the foreign trade statistics compiled
by the Commerce Department.
Phil Fishman, assistant director of
international affairs for the AFL-CIO, said the
trade group's backing for a ban was "quite
unique" among industry groups.
Officials at
but have said that any
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