STRASBOURG, France: The European Union will extend its political and economic sanctions against Myanmar and only allow limited EU development aid, an official said Wednesday.
Slovenian State Secretary for European Affairs Janez Lenarcic said EU foreign ministers will adopt the decision to prolong the sanctions by another 12 months during a meeting starting Monday in Luxembourg.
Lenarcic told the European Parliament that the sanctions may be adapted to deal with any political changes in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
"We will once again launch an appeal to the Burmese authorities to pave the way for a transition to a civilian government ... release political prisoners and stop persecutions," Lenarcic said.
The EU has imposed a travel ban on Myanmar officials, an arms embargo and a freeze of Myanmar assets. It also has banned imports of timber, gemstones and precious metals from Myanmar in response to the military junta's crackdown on pro-democracy groups.
But the EU has said the bloc's humanitarian aid will continue.
Source: IHT
No comments:
Post a Comment