EU Tightens Sanctions on Myanmar

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

               Asia:Myanmar

               EU Tightens Sanctions on
               Myanmar

               Reuters
               26-OCT-98

               LUXEMBOURG, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The European Union tightened
sanctions
               on Myanmar on Monday, voicing concern at its failure to
promote democracy
               and human rights. 

               EU foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, extended
existing sanctions against
               the Southeast Asian country, adopted in October 1996 and due
for renewal this
               week. 

               They include the expulsion of military personnel attached to
Myanmar diplomatic
               missions in the EU, an arms embargo, a ban on entry visas to
the country's
               leaders and the suspension of non-humanitarian aid and of
high-level government
               visits. 

               The ministers also widened the visa ban by including transit
visas under the ban
               and extending it to cover Myanmar tourism officials, an EU
statement said. 

               It said the 15-nation EU would rigorously apply the visa ban
to members of the
               ruling State Peace and Development Council and members of
the military, as
               well as their families. 

               The ministers supported the view of Myanmar opposition
leader and Nobel
               Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi that "in the present
situation, it is inappropriate
               for tourists to visit Burma (Myanmar)," the statement said. 

               The ministers did not however adopt a ban on new investment
or bar EU
               companies from providing services to Myanmar's ruling
council-- measures that
               had been discussed. 

               After considering the "deteriorating internal situation" in
Myanmar, ministers
               remained "deeply concerned at the lack of a positive
response from the Burmese
               authorities to the repeated calls for them to take steps
towards the promotion of
               democracy and human rights, and of national reconciliation,"
the statement said. 

               The ministers decided that, although Myanmar has become a
member of the
               Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the EU would
not allow
               Myanmar to join a cooperation agreement between the EU and
ASEAN. 

               Due to the importance they placed on the EU's relationship
with ASEAN,
               however, the ministers said they would accept the presence
of Myanmar
               representatives at the next meeting of a joint committee
held under the
               cooperation agreement. 

               But the ministers said Myanmar's participation in future
such meetings would
               depend on an improvement in the human rights situation. 

               Myanmar's ruling generals refused to recognise the results
of the country's last
               general election in May 1990, which was won overwhelmingly
by Suu Kyi's
               National League for Democracy. 

                            Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited.All rights
reserved. 





                                                   

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