Myanmar - U.S. Ambassador Mitchell to visit Burma starting Sunday

(Mizzima) – The U.S. is sending Special Representative and Policy Coordinator Derek Mitchell to Burma on Sunday for a six-day visit. He will discuss the upcoming April 1 by-election with Burmese officials, as well as U.S. initiatives to recognize recent democratic reforms, the State Department said.

Mitchell will also travel to Rangoon and Mandalay to meet with a broad spectrum of society, including civil society groups and private sector stakeholders. Ambassador Mitchell, in his role as Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma, visits Burma frequently to build on closer relations.

In a press briefing on Friday, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said Mitchell will follow up on steps discussed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she visited Burma in December, in a trip that opened the door to renewed U.S.-Burma ties after decades of isolation.

Asked how the U.S. views the political campaign being run by Aung San Suu Kyi in the by-elections, she said, “We are gratified that the government has lived up to its commitment not only to register her party, but to allow her to campaign throughout the country, to allow her to speak freely. So – so far, so good at this point.”

In addition to Mitchell, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Dan Bear will also visit Burma next week to meet with Burmese officials and with former political prisoners. He will “talk more generally with the government about human rights,” Nuland said.

Also, Special Representative for International Labor Affairs Barbara Shailor will meet with labor union officials and work on the effort to have Burma meet its commitment to internationally recognized labor standards, Nuland said.

Asked about the U.S. lifting sanctions, Nuland said, “We need the process of democratization to continue to go forward, including the elections that are upcoming.  We need continued progress in settling issues with the tribes and seeking cease-fires, seeking national reconciliation. There is – there are a whole raft of things on the human rights and democracy side, and we are also working together on how we can support more of an economic opening as well in Burma.”

She said the U.S. is continuing its ongoing dialogue with Burma about its military cooperation with North Korea, and it’s signing of the International Atomic Energy Agency Protocol.

In December 2011, after a visit to Burma, Mitchell held a press conference in Beijing, in which he made revealing remarks about how the U.S. views Burma’s move toward democracy, and the problems it faces:

“The biggest concern, I think, is the defining challenge, in essence, of Burma post-independence, which is its national unity and national reconciliation. The ability of the country to find a resolution to the division between the ethnic minorities, ethnic nationalities and the center, and the Burman majority. They’ve been basically at civil war, or at least had these constant internal conflicts I should say, since its inception as an independent nation. I think that remains the biggest concern that we all must have about the stability of the country, the sustainability, of the stability of the country.

“You can have artificial stability through force of arms, but that’s not sustainable. The real sustainable stability inside the country comes from a political process of reconciliation: of dialogue, of trust, equality and goodwill on all sides. There’s a deep residue of mistrust, unfortunately, developed over years.

“Democratic development is in the very, very nascent stage, very early stage. So we’re encouraged by some of the moves that have been made in terms of opening up the political process to allow Aung San Suu Kyi’s party to run in elections coming up. There is some more easing of restrictions on the media but only in certain arenas – sports, culture, that kind of thing. Not in the political realm. 

“So they have a ways to go but their words are certainly encouraging. They talk about their commitment to democracy and their commitment to human rights. The Parliament and the parliamentary speakers talk about building the Parliament as an institution. They can perhaps do more debate and initiation of policy, but it’s a very, very early stage of this new system that they have as well as of that commitment to development of democracy.”

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