Rush hour before extension

Rush hour before extension 

EU Sanctions Campaign 

Shan and Karen representatives were in Madrid, the Spanish capital, last week on a blitz diplomatic offensive trip before the European Council met to renew its six-month sanctions according to a report from the Shan Democratic Union, the umbrella organization of the Shan exiles.

"We took the opportunity to brief him (Mr Jorge Montealegre Burie, Deputy Director for Southeast Asia Department) for 45 minutes on 5 April," wrote Sai Wansai, Secretary General of the SDU who was on the two-men delegation led by Saw Zarkis from the Karen National Union.

Spain is currently the president on rotation of the European Union. The current sanctions, known as the EU common position, are in place until 29 April.

Ongoing secret talks in Rangoon between Aung San Suu Kyi, main opposition leader and Nobel laureate, and the military authorities, the formation of the Ethnic Nationalities Solidarity and Cooperation Committee (ENSCC) by the non-Burman opposition groups in order to promote a peaceful political settlement in Burma through Tripartite Dialogue, and the current human rights situation in non-Burman areas were topics discussed at the meeting according to the report.

Saw Zarkis later told the Europa Press that Spain was for maintaining the sanctions that had become effective since 1996. The Karen representative also reported violations of human rights in non-Burman areas, claiming the overall treatment of the ethnic groups amounted to genocide.

Sai Wansai, as he had done at the Oslo meeting in December, again called for a nationwide ceasefire, freedom of assembly and meeting, a free passage for non-ceasefire groups like the Shan State Army "South" and the KNU for consultations and the re-instatement of banned political parties.

As Saw Zarkis put it, the trip was important "as the ethnic point of view is often overlooked."
The ENSCC was formed last year on 30 August in the Karen area where the KNU and SDU participated along with other non-Burman organizations.