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AUSTRALIAN PUSH FOR DIALOGUE APPLAU



The Sydney Morning Herald
Monday, September 15, 1997

- Burma

AUSTRALIAN PUSH FOR DIALOGUE APPLAUDED

By Mark Baker
Herald Correspondent in Bangkok

Burma's embattled democracy movement has applauded moves
by the Australian Government to open a high-level dialogue
with the country's military rulers in an attempt to break
the stalemate on political reform.

A special envoy of the Foreign Minister, Mr Downer, left
Rangoon yesterday after a series of talks with leaders of
the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC), including the powerful Secretary One,
Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt.

The envoy, Mr John Dauth, the head of the South-East Asia
division in the Department of Foreign Affairs, is the most
senior Australian official to visit Burma since the army
crushed a pro-democracy uprising in 1988 and imposed harsh
military rule.

Mr Dauth pressed the regime to lift restrictions on the
democracy leader Ms Aung San Suu Kyi - who remains under
effective house arrest - and to open negotiations with her
National League for Democracy (NLD).

"He told them we'd like to see greater political movement
and engagement with the NLD on reform - that's the bottom
line," a senior Australian official said.

In a potentially controversial move, designed not to
antagonise the SLORC, the Government instructed Mr Dauth
not to seek a meeting with Ms Suu Kyi during his five days
in Rangoon.

But a vice-chairman of the NLD, Mr Tin Oo, said yesterday
that Ms Suu Kyi understood the decision and welcomed
Australia's attempt to break the political deadlock.

"We fully realise and understand that the Australian
Government is on our side and working for the interests of
the Burmese people," he told the Herald from Rangoon.

The Australian Ambassador to Burma, Ms Lyndall McLean, met
Ms Suu Kyi last week and advised her of the Government's
decision to adopt a "new approach" in its dealings with
the regime.

Mr Tin Oo said: "They didn't want to make any hitch in the
talks with the SLORC and we understand that. This is an
experimental approach by the Australian Government. They
know our position already, so it's more important for them
to talk to the SLORC now."

Two months ago, Mr Downer ordered a review of Australia's
policy on Burma, under which all direct aid and defence
cooperation is frozen, and new investments are neither
encouraged nor discouraged.

Australian officials said that while the Federal
Government remained deeply concerned about the continuing
repression in Burma, it wanted to try to encourage reform
by reopening contacts with the leadership.

As part of the new approach, Mr Dauth flew yesterday to
Japan to brief Foreign Ministry officials on his talks
with the SLORC, which included several senior economic
ministers.

There are concerns that Japan is under domestic pressure
to break ranks with the United States, the European Union
and other Western governments, including Australia, to
resume direct aid to Burma.