New Delhi (Mizzima) - United States’ President Barack Obama on Sunday personally pressed Burmese Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein to free detained Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on the sidelines of the US-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet, but failed to have the demand included in a joint communiqué released later.
According to a White House press release, Obama held talks with Thein Sein on the sidelines of the first US-ASEAN leaders meeting in Singapore on Sunday and urged Thein Sein to release fellow Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.
But the press release said, Obama told Thein Sein exactly the same thing he did during his intervention in the US-ASEAN meeting.
On Saturday, before flying to Singapore, Obama in Tokyo called on the Burmese regime to take “clear steps” toward democracy including the unconditional release of all political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi, and end conflicts with minority groups and have a “genuine dialogue” with the opposition and minorities on a “shared vision for the future.”
“It is a precondition for any softening of sanctions against the country’s military junta,” Obama said.
Obama in his speech in the US-ASEAN summit said, “I reaffirmed the policy that I put forward yesterday in Tokyo with regard to Burma.”
Debbie Stothard, Coordinator of Alternative ASEAN network on Burma (Alt-Sean Burma) said ASEAN’s disagreement over the call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi in the summit had compelled Obama to make a solo call.
“This is because ASEAN disagreed to call for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release,” said Stothard. “There was a lot of pressure I think from SPDC in Singapore to avoid mentioning Aung San Suu Kyi in the [joint] statement,” she added referring to the military junta by its official name – the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).
While the joint statement failed to mention Suu Kyi, the ASEAN’s leaders welcomed the high level dialogue and US’s new policy of engagement with the Burmese regime including the recent visit of U.S. officials to Burma.
“We expressed our hope that this effort, as well as ASEAN’s, would contribute to broad political and economic reforms and the process will be further enhanced in the future,” the joint statement said.
The US has been imposing sanctions against Burma for over a decade but after Obama came to power, Washington said it is reassessing its policy. In September it announced a new policy that includes engaging the regime while maintaining the existing sanctions.
In early November, a US high-level delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian affairs, Kurt Campbell visited Burma and held talks with several junta officials including Thein Sein in the country’s jungle capital Naypyidaw.
Campbell’s delegation also met Suu Kyi, who has spent 14 of the past 19 years under detention, at a guest house in Burma’s former capital Rangoon on November 4.
“When they try to compromise on the approach they have to be very strong on reassessing their principles,” Stothard said. She added that US needs to be very thoughtful and consistence in dealing with Burma.
ASEAN’s leaders also reiterated their call to the Burmese regime to initiate a dialogue with all stakeholders to ensure that the forthcoming 2010 election is credible and is conducted in “a free, fair, inclusive and transparent manner.”
But Stothard said, “The election in Burma cannot be free or fair or even credible because most of the opposition candidates are locked up and are not being allowed to participate.” She added that it will be ‘pointless’ if the 2008 constitution is not amended.
