USA: At a conference hosted by former U.S. President George W. Bush, Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi says, "I'm not against the suspension of sanctions as long as the people of the United States feel that this is the right thing to do"

Record ID: 191181

  • Title: USA: At a conference hosted by former U.S. President George W. Bush, Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi says, "I'm not against the suspension of sanctions as long as the people of the United States feel that this is the right thing to do"
  • Date: 16th May 2012
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (MAY 15, 2012) (REUTERS) FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH WALKING TO PODIUM CUTAWAY AUDIENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, SAYING: "Vaclav Havel said that politics is not the art of the possible. It is the art of imagining the impossible - and then making it happen. From Havel, to Mandela, to Aung San Suu Kyi, dissidents have practiced the art of the impossible. America does not get to choose if a freedom revolution should begin or end in the Middle East, or elsewhere. It only gets to choose what side it is on. The tactics of promoting freedom will vary, case by case. But America's message should ring clear and strong: We stand for freedom - and for the institutions and habits that make freedom work for everyone." CUTAWAY AUDIENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH, SAYING: "So today, I want to present to everyone Member of Parliament in Burma Daw Aung San Suu Kyi." WIDESHOT LAURA BUSH WITH MYANMAR PRO-DEMOCRACY LEADER AUNG SAN SUU KYI ON SCREEN VIA SKYPE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MYANMAR PRO-DEMOCRACY LEADER AUNG SAN SUU KYI, SAYING: "I am not against the suspension of sanctions as long as the people of the United States feel that this is the right thing to do at the moment. I do, I do advocate caution though. I sometimes feel that things, that people are too optimistic about the scene in Burma. You have to remember that the democratization process is not irreversible. I have said very openly that we can never look upon it as irreversible until such time as the military commits itself to democratization (inaudible) and efficiently." CUTAWAY AUDIENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) BOB FU, HEAD OF CHINAAID, SAYING: "My organization monitors and exposes the abuses of religious freedom. We also assist the abused spiritually and legally in their defense of liberty. We work with (inaudible) leaders and individuals like the blind, self-taught lawyer Chen Guangcheng and we hope to see them - him and his family - in the United States soon." CUTAWAY AUDIENCE GEORGE BUSH AND LAURA BUSH RECEIVING GIFTS FROM VACLAV HAVEL LIBRARY
  • Embargoed: 31st May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA2YFRZNUNWONHBHSXBZUACCC97
  • Story Text: A suspension of U.S. sanctions against Myanmar, rather than a full removal of the penalties, would keep pressure on the government to stay on track with political reforms, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on Tuesday (May 15).
    "I'm not against the suspension of sanctions as long as the people of the United States feel that this is the right thing to do at the moment," she said in a video conference to a gathering in Washington.
    Suu Kyi and 42 other members of her National League for Democracy party took their seats in parliament this month following a historic by-election in a year of dramatic reforms in the former British colony also known as Burma.
    Suspending sanctions imposed over the past two decades in response to harsh military rule, as has been done by the European Union, "is a way of sending a strong message" of support for nascent reforms while retaining leverage, she said.
    "People are too optimistic about the scene in Burma," Suu Kyi warned an audience gathered to mark former President George W. Bush's "Freedom Collection" of papers and artifacts from famous dissidents and democracy movements around the world.
    Myanmar's reforms are "not irreversible" until the country's military leaders "solidly and officially" commit to democratization, said the Nobel Peace laureate, who spent most of the past 20 years under house arrest.
    While the government had released hundreds of political prisoners since last year, 271 prisoners from a list her NLD party gave Myanmar's home minister remain in jail, said Suu Kyi.
    Washington has gradually lifted some of the economic sanctions imposed on Myanmar from 1990-2008, allowing technical assistance by international financial institutions and authorizing financial transactions for non-profit projects.
    Supporting the work of dissidents like Suu Kyi, Bush called on the U.S. to "stand for freedom."
    "America does not get to choose if a freedom revolution should begin or end in the Middle East, or elsewhere. It only gets to choose what side it is on. The tactics of promoting freedom will vary, case by case. But America's message should ring clear and strong: We stand for freedom - and for the institutions and habits that make freedom work for everyone," he said.
    Bob Fu, the president of Texas-based religious and human rights group ChinaAid, also participated in the conference.
    He reiterated his support for Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, saying, "We hope to see them - him and his family - in the United States soon."
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