BURMA: Europe announces tighter sanctions
Updated
European Union foreign ministers have approved a new set of sanctions against Burma's military junta. They include the embargo on the export of wood, gems and metals. The new punitive measures have been widely welcomed but the U-S is asking Europe to take tougher action.
Presenter: Tom Fayle
Speakers: Jeremy Woodrum US Campaign for Burma in Washington
WOODRUM: They're an important step because it's going to cut the financial flows to the military regime significantly. The sectors that are targetted are major cash cows for the military regime so they will help, but I don't think it's one or the other, Gambari or sanctions, we need both diplomacy and economic pressure at the same time.
FAYLE: But can any focus on exports exert any influence on Burma's leaders, or does it run the risk of making life more difficult for ordinary people in Burma?
WOODRUM: Well I think what the EU did here is, they struck a balance, they targetted the sectors that are really dominated by the military regime and don't affect much of the everyday population. So I think it can affect the finances of the military regime. But look this is a tough regime, they're willing to stick it out for a long time, so the sanctions are important but they're not all that's needed, and I think the EU recognised that. In their statement they also called for multilateral action at the UN Security Council.
FAYLE: And how effective on the other hand is this American approach of freezing the military offshore bank accounts and restricting investment?
WOODRUM: Well we don't know yet because looking at the sort of banking sanctions that may go in place they've only been barely put in place a couple of weeks ago and there hasn't been much action on it yet, that's my understanding. So I think we may have a little bit better knowledge of that six months to a year down the line.
FAYLE: Now 90 per cent of Burma's exports go to other countries in Asia. How important are countries such as India and China, the major trading partners in putting pressure on Burma's government?
WOODRUM: Well it's incredibly important and sanctions from the US and the EU alone are not going to bring democracy to Burma by any stretch of the imagination, but they are important. At the same time the EU in its statement and the US as well is working to actively push India and China to modify their positions at the same time. And I might add so are a lot of everyday people around the world, Desmond Tutu from South Africa just said that he would boycott the Olympics in Beijing unless they modified their policy on Burma.
FAYLE: Yet that said, is there any indication that Beijing or New Delhi might go any further than its previously stated stance?
WOODRUM: Yeah, well there is some movement on China's part, they have moved an inch, only an inch but still an inch which is an inch further than they were before, and that was last Thursday they did not block a UN Security Council statement condeming the crackdown inside Burma, and also calling for the Security Council to remain across the situation. Interestingly the Council also gave its full backing to the UN diplomat Gambari who's supposed to be negotiating with the regime. So he's now speaking on behalf of the Security Council and not just himself. So it's been a major step forward diplomatically and I think it's a small compromise on China's part, but it's an important one and something that should be built upon.
FAYLE: As you noted the UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari is in Asia at the moment and he is heading to Malaysia from Thailand and he's also down to visit India and China. He's called for an end to the arbitrary arrests and the start of dialogue. What are his chances of success?
WOODRUM: Well his chances of success are very small. It doesn't have as much to do with him as it does to do with India and China as you pointed out earlier. If those countries are unwilling to come on board in a more rigorous way it's hard to imagine how the UN can succeed no matter what he does. I think the interesting dynamic though is that if he does fail, which of course wouldn't be a personal failure but the process, if it doesn't work he's going to go back to New York and report that to the UN Security Council. The US and the EU and other countries are pressing for a global arms embargo on Burma's military regime to cut off the arms suppliers. And so there could be some sort of consequence if this doesn't work. That's the first time in history that you've ever had that scenario; previous envoys who have travelled there nothing would happen and there would be no consequences.
