The Burma Campaign UK today welcomed news that the United Nations Security Council has voted to hold its first formal discussion on Burma.
“This vote is a major step forward towards getting the UN to accept its responsibility to act on Burma,” said Yvette Mahon, Director of the Burma Campaign UK. ”We call on Council members to use this opportunity to turn words into action, and pass a binding resolution requiring change in Burma.”
The USA has led calls for Security Council action on Burma, with strong support from the United Kingdom. France, Denmark, Greece, Slovakia, Japan, Peru, Argentina, and Ghana are also understood to have supported Burma being placed on the Council agenda. Nine votes are required to place items on the agenda, and the veto does not apply. A date for the discussion has not yet been decided.
“Burma is a threat to international peace and security, as well as its own population,” said Yvette Mahon. “The US and UK governments have worked hard to get Burma on the agenda, and deserve a lot of credit for doing so. This is case of the USA and UK acting on principle, while China and Russia are putting trade and profit before the interests of ordinary Burmese people.”
The regime in Burma has consistently defied the United Nations, ignoring over a dozen calls for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release by the Secretary General, and 28 resolutions by the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Commission. The regime has also defied repeated calls by the International Labour Organisation to end forced labour. Demands for UN Security Council intervention increased following the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2003. The campaign was given fresh momentum following publication in September 2005 of a report – A Threat to the Peace – commissioned by former archbishop Desmond Tutu and former Czech President Vaclav Havel from global law firm DLA Piper. The report found that Burma does fit the criteria for UNSC intervention, and called on the UNSC to pass a binding resolution requiring the restoration of democracy to Burma, and the release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi. The Security Council held its first discussion on Burma in December 2005.
For more information contact Mark Farmaner on 0207 324 4713.