Summary: February 16, 2005: Declaration by the European Union on the reconvening of the National Convention in Burma/Myanmar (Brussels)
The European Union notes that the National Convention will reconvene on 17 February 2005 and strongly hopes to see concrete results. In this connection the European Union calls on the State Peace and Development Committee to renounce past hostilities and enter into a constructive dialogue with the National League for Democracy (NLD), other legitimate representative bodies and the ethnic groups. Only such a dialogue can lead to the drawing up of a constitution that can win the true support of
the people and bring peace and development to the country. Only if it adopts this approach will the Government be able to arrive at real and lasting national reconciliation and to honour its commitments visà-vis the international community contained in its road map announcing the "building of a modern, prosperous and democratic nation".
The European Union regrets that the State Peace and Development Committee has not yet created the necessary conditions for participation by the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other legitimate representative bodies in the National Convention, which will reconvene on 17 February and which could provide an opportunity for genuine and transparent dialogue. These conditions include lifting the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, reopening all the offices of the National League for Democracy
and releasing all political prisoners, including the elected representatives of the opposition parties.
In this connection, the European Union is very concerned at the arrest on 9 February of Khun Htun Oo, president of the Shan National League Democracy Party, together with other leaders of the Shan community, and at the increased harassment of the leaders of other ethnic national groups. The EU calls for a stop to all such restrictive treatment.
The European Union calls on the Burmese authorities to establish permanent and sincere cooperation with the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy and with all the UN agencies involved.
The European Union takes this opportunity to emphasise that, as envisaged in Council Common Position 2004/730/CFSP of 25 October 2004, it could respond positively to concrete signs of progress and that it is already committed to the reduction of poverty and the promotion of democratisation in Burma/Myanmar.
The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey and Croatia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this declaration.
* Croatia continues to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
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