US/EU/BURMA

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

 U.S. supports European mission to Myanmar 
05:33 p.m Jul 07, 1999 Eastern 
WASHINGTON, July 7 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday threw its
support behind a European Union mission to promote human rights and
democracy in Myanmar but said it saw little hope of imminent change in the
south-east Asian state. 

``We support the discussions by the special European mission which has
arrived in Burma for talks intended to encourage Burma to improve its dismal
human rights performance,'' State Department spokesman James Foley told
reporters. 

``We call on Burma to improve its human rights record by stopping such
practices as forced labour, extra-judicial and arbitrary executions, rape,
torture, mass arrests, forced relocation and denial of freedom of
expression,'' he said. 

Foley said he believed the EU mission now in Myanmar, formerly named Burma,
was intended to encourage human rights and a dialogue between the opposition
and the ruling military and not, as some critics have said, to promote
economic ties. 

Washington, like the EU, imposes sanctions on Myanmar because of its brutal
suppression of the opposition National League for Democracy, whose landslide
win in the 1990 general election was disregarded by the military. 

Asked whether there were any signs that the military rulers might be
softening their stand, Foley said: ``I personally have not seen anything
recently that indicates any change in their consistent stonewalling in this
regard.'' 

He added: ``We support the fact that the EU is willing to go there and to
sit down and discuss these issues with Burma. That message needs to be
constantly reinforced with the Burmese authorities.''