Burmese delegates meet US Assistant Secretary

by Mungpi
Wednesday, 30 September 2009 15:17

New Delhi (Mizzima) - In what appears to be the first step of engagement, US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on Tuesday met Burmese delegates led by Minister of Science and Technology U Thaung.

Philip J. Crowley, deputy spokesperson of the state department, on Tuesday told reporters that Campbell is to meet U Thaung and his delegates in New York. The meeting was also attended by Burma’s permanent representative to the United Nations Than Swe.

The meeting comes in the wake of the US on Monday announcing its new policy on Burma, in which the Obama administration has decided to engage the military generals in Naypyitaw while keeping in place the existing sanctions.

The US has said, both sanctions by the West and engagement by neighbouring and regional countries have failed to bring about a desired behavioural change in the military leaders of Burma. It has failed to break the political impasse that is bogging down the Southeast Asian nation for the past two decades.

“In terms of engagement, we intend to begin a direct dialogue with Burmese authorities to pave the way towards better relations,” Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State, told reporters on Monday.

Campbell also said, “Lifting sanctions now would send the wrong signal. We will tell the Burmese that we will discuss easing sanctions only if they take actions on our core concerns.”

In response to the US policy on Burma, detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, through her party spokesperson, urged the US to continue engaging the opposition as the US seeks to engage the Burmese junta.

On Monday, Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein in the United Nations General Assembly condemned imposition of sanctions on his country saying it is being used by a few powerful countries as a political tool and that is ‘unjust’ and must be stopped.

Meanwhile, detained Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has made an offer to the junta supremo Snr Gen Than Shwe saying she is willing to work with him to help ease the sanctions imposed by the US, European Union and Australia.

In order to do so, she requested Than Shwe to allow her to meet representatives of the US, EU and Australia.

But Nyan Win, spokesperson for the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, on Tuesday said there has been no reply as yet from Than Shwe.