VZCZCXRO8204
PP RUEHAG RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHDL #0903 2141241
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 021241Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY DUBLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7302
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 000903 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/02/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM FI BU EUN EI
SUBJECT: IRELAND MAINTAINS CONCERNS ON BURMA BUT WILL NOT 
CHALLENGE ASEM INVITATION 
 
REF: STATE 124139 
 
Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Mary E. Daly, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) On August 1, emboff delivered reftel points to Irish 
Department of Foreign Affairs Asia Section First Secretary 
James McIntyre.  McIntyre said that the GOI would not ask the 
EU Presidency to withdraw or downgrade their invitation for 
Burma to attend the September Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) 
because the decision is in line with the EU Common Position 
on Burma.  He cited EU agreement on interpretation of a 
Common Position clause that allows Burmese officials to be 
exempted from the visa ban for multilateral meetings if the 
situation in Burma is addressed at the meeting.  McIntyre 
said the precedent set by the Netherlands last year when 
Burma was not invited to an ASEM economic minsters meeting 
proved counterproductive, as it prompted a boycott of the 
meeting by ministers of Asian countries, including Japan and 
South Korea.  The GOI fears a similar boycott if Burma is 
excluded from this year's ASEM.  McIntyre also said that the 
invitation was extended to ASEAN as an organization, and the 
EU could not tell ASEAN which of its members could attend. 
He mentioned Secretary Rice's attendance at the recent Kuala 
Lumpur meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, which Burma 
attended. 
 
¶2. (C) McIntyre stressed that while Ireland would not 
challenge the EU Presidency's decision to invite Burma to the 
September ASEM, the GOI remains one of the EU's strongest 
advocates for democracy and human rights inside Burma.  He 
noted that Ireland and other countries would insist on 
raising Burma's human rights situation at ASEM and would push 
for reference to discussion on Burma in the meeting's 
Chairman's Statement.  Moreover, the GOI believed that 
participation by Burma's foreign minister at the ASEM 
heads-of-state gathering would send a signal as to Burma's 
isolation. 
 
¶3. (C) Comment: Ireland's committment to Burma was 
highlighted by a joint reception held in June by the 
Department of Foreign Affairs and the NGO, Burma Action 
Ireland.  This event marked the publication of two reports 
detailing human rights abuses and included participation by 
emboff, numerous diplomats, NGO activists, and the former 
Burmese political prisoner, Ko Bo Kyi.  Minister of State 
with Responsibility for Human Rights, Conor Lenihan, also 
spoke at the event.  Ireland has allocated over euro 1 
million in recent years to projects benefiting the Burmese 
people, including support for human rights and 
democratization, and NGO co-financing.  End Comment. 
 
 
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