Bush Vows to Support Burma Democracy

Lalit K Jha / New York
The Irrawaddy News
www.irrawaddy.org
January 29, 2008

The United States president, George W Bush, on Monday reiterated his commitment to help the people of Burma suffering from years of authoritarian rule under the Burmese military junta.

Delivering his last “State of the Union” address, Bush said: “We support freedom in countries from Cuba and Zimbabwe to Belarus and Burma.”

Although Burma figured only once in the president’s speech, a few hours before the “State of the Union” address, a White House official explained that the US was reiterating its commitment for freedom, democracy and human rights to the people of Burma.

A 36-page document, prepared by the White House for the occasion, described in detail the steps that the Bush administration had announced over the past six months to help Burmese people bring peaceful change to their country, where the president said the Burmese junta has imposed a 19-year reign of fear.

It also said that the first lady, Laura Bush, continued to support the Burmese people's demands for national reconciliation and basic human rights, such as freedom of speech, worship, association and assembly.

In the past six months, the US has tightened existing economic sanctions and levied new sanctions against the leaders of the regime and their financial backers. It imposed an expanded visa ban on those responsible for the most egregious violations of human rights, as well as their family members.

Besides continuing to support Burmese who seek a peaceful, democratic transition, he called on the government of Burma to uphold its obligations to the United Nations Security Council. Bush also voiced support for the efforts of humanitarian groups working to alleviate suffering in Burma and tightened the US Commerce Department's export control regulations against Burma.