THAILAND/FILE: U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell is to visit army-ruled Myanmar

Record ID: 187085

  • Title: THAILAND/FILE: U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell is to visit army-ruled Myanmar
  • Date: 10th May 2010
  • Summary: BANGKOK, THAILAND (MAY 09, 2010) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EAST ASIAN AND PACIFIC AFFAIRS, KURT CAMPBELL WALKING INTO ROOM CAMPBELL STANDING AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE KURT CAMPBELL SAYING: "I will say that we are troubled by much of what we have seen and we have very real concerns about the election laws and the environment that has been created. And we will be looking to clarify some questions and also to urge the government to broaden its overall approach." CAMPBELL STANDING AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE KURT CAMPBELL SAYING: "We made very clear that the United States was not going to lift its sanctions and it was going to continue its vigilance in a variety of areas, including non-proliferation. And so our primary goal is to establish more consequential discussions with the government on a range of issues and to hear directly from them; their plans and their objectives over the course of the next few years, politically and in terms of foreign policy. I think I stated very clearly this is an extraordinarily challenging undertaking and we have no illusions about how difficult that process is and will continue to be." CAMPBELL STANDING AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE KURT CAMPBELL SAYING: "I think first and foremost will be our ability to communicate directly what our approaches, what our principles and objectives have been in terms of our overall engagement strategy and frankly to convey some areas of real disappointment. I think it will be important to have the broadest possible discussions with people inside the country and to hear directly from some of the key players including, Aung San Suu Kyi. I would say that I think that those are the basic issues that are necessary in any dialogue, so it is not enough to describe that as the basis for success but in the current environment, even to be able to achieve those things are important if for no other reason that it allows us to implement our policy towards Burma."
  • Embargoed: 25th May 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAELLQJZRX5LG5CLSF0C2CS1N0F
  • Story Text: United States Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell will travel to army-ruled Myanmar on Sunday (May 9) and is expected to meet government ministers and pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
    At a news conference in the Thai capital on Sunday, Campbell raised concerns over the election process.
    "I will say that we are troubled by much of what we have seen and we have very real concerns about the election laws and the environment that has been created. And we will be looking to clarify some questions and also to urge the government to broaden its overall approach," he told reporters in Bangkok's Conrad hotel.
    Myanmar plans this year to hold elections, the first in two decades, that critics have derided as a sham designed to entrench army rule by letting the military keep control of key ministries while pulling the strings behind a civilian-fronted government.
    The Burmese military rulers have held power for five-decades. Under the 2008 constitution passed in a disputed referendum, the armed forces chief will still be the country's most powerful figure and key ministries will remain under military control.
    The Nobel Peace Prize winner's National League for Democracy (NLD) party was effectively disbanded on Friday (May 7) after it chose not to re-register as a political party ahead of this year's long-awaited election in the former Burma.
    Phyo Min Thein, chairman of the Union Democratic Party (UDP), one of 30 which have applied to run in the election, told Reuters he was making arrangements through U.S. diplomats for the UDP and other parties to meet Campbell in Yangon.
    No election date has been set yet.
    Campbell stressed that the U.S. would not lift sanctions against the country as the Obama administration looks to pursue deeper engagement with Myanmar's military rulers to spur democratic reform.
    "We made very clear that the United States was not going to lift its sanctions and it was going to continue its vigilance in a variety of areas, including non-proliferation. And so our primary goal is to establish more consequential discussions with the government on a range of issues and to hear directly from them; their plans and their objectives over the course of the next few years, politically and in terms of foreign policy. I think I stated very clearly this is an extraordinarily challenging undertaking and we have no illusions about how difficult that process is and will continue to be," he said.
    Campbell, Washington's top official for East Asia and the Pacific, will travel to the new capital, Naypyitaw, on Sunday to meet officials from the ruling junta.
    He is expected to meet Suu Kyi and opposition politicians the following day.
    "I think first and foremost will be our ability to communicate directly what our approaches, what our principles and objectives have been in terms of our overall engagement strategy and frankly to convey some areas of real disappointment. I think it will be important to have the broadest possible discussions with people inside the country and to hear directly from some of the key players including, Aung San Suu Kyi," Campbell said.
    The United States embarked on a policy of deeper engagement with Myanmar last year in the hopes of spurring democratic reforms in the country, which has been under military rule for nearly five decades.
    Campbell and a U.S. delegation made a landmark visit to Myanmar last November, the first of its kind in 14 years by a country that has been largely dismissive of the military regime and has strict sanctions on the isolated country.
    The NLD had given no indication at that time that it would boycott the polls, which it said were unfair and unjust. The NLD's snub has angered many of its supporters, who say the move has played into the hands of the ruling generals.
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