VZCZCXRO4239
OO RUEHBZ RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHC #5085/01 0162035
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 162033Z JAN 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0279
INFO ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 005085 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM UNSC BM
SUBJECT: INSTRUCTIONS FOR SPECIAL ENVOY GAMBARI'S UNSC 
BRIEFING 
 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUEST: Special Advisor on Burma 
Ibrahim Gambari is scheduled to report to the UN Security 
Council on the situation of the "good offices" mission to 
Burma during informal consultations of the Security Council 
on Thursday, January 17.  USUN is instructed to draw from the 
points in para 2 below in its response to Gambari's briefing. 
 USUN should draw on these points in making a statement to 
the press following the consultations and encourage 
like-minded countries to also speak to the press.  End of 
Summary and Action Request. 
 
¶2.  Begin points: 
 
Implementation of October 11 PRST on Burma 
------------------------------------------ 
 
-- The United States welcomes Special Advisor Gambari's 
report to the Council today on the status of the Secretary 
General's "good offices" mission to Burma. 
 
-- On October 11, the Security Council adopted a Presidential 
Statement that called on the Burmese regime to release all 
political prisoners and detainees, engage in a genuine 
dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and all concerned parties and 
ethnic groups, and to cooperate fully with Special Advisor 
Gambari. 
 
-- During Mr. Gambari's visit to Burma the following month, 
the regime pledged to release more political prisoners, 
agreed in principle to allow ICRC access to prisoners, and 
invited him back "again and again" (07 USUN 1028). 
 
-- Unfortunately, to date the regime has not responded to the 
Council's concerns. 
 
-- Political Prisoners:  The regime continues to detain and 
prosecute peaceful political activists.  As recently as 
January 4, as the people of Burma celebrated their 
independence from colonial rule, the regime arrested more 
members of the NLD and other peaceful political activists. 
It continues to hold Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and countless other 
political prisoners in custody.  There has been no relaxation 
of the conditions of house arrest for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, 
as requested by the Council's PRST in October, nor have 
international NGOs been allowed independent access to 
prisoners. 
 
-- Political Dialogue:  There has been no progress by the 
regime in establishing a genuine dialogue with Burma's 
democratic and ethnic minority representatives, as called for 
by the PRST and by Special Advisor Gambari during his two 
previous visits to Burma.  The regime's designated liaison 
has only met with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi once since November. 
The regime continues to deny her the right to consult 
regularly with other democracy activists and ethnic minority 
representatives or with foreign diplomats.  It has continued 
to impose its so-called road-map despite its clear lack of 
popular legitimacy among the Burmese people. 
 
-- Cooperation with the UN:  The regime has delayed Mr. 
Gambari's return to Burma until late April, a five-month gap 
since his last visit. 
 
-- At every opportunity, the Burmese regime has demonstrated 
a clear lack of regard for the UN, particularly the Secretary 
General, under whose leadership this "good offices" mission 
was launched, and the Security Council, which laid out its 
clear and reasonable expectations for the regime in its 
October 11 statement. 
 
What the Regime Must Do 
----------------------- 
 
-- The Secretary General said in early December that the 
world's patience with the Burmese regime was running out. 
Over a month later, no progress is evident. 
 
-- If the Burmese regime wants to demonstrate a genuine 
intention to cooperate with Secretary General Ban's "good 
offices" mission, at a minimum it should: 
 
     a) Allow Special Advisor Gambari to return to Burma this 
month and grant him access to all regime officials, Daw Aung 
San Suu Kyi, and other democratic and ethnic minority 
leaders, and anyone else whose participation is necessary to 
help him fulfill the mission with which the General Assembly 
 
STATE 00005085  002 OF 002 
 
 
charged him; 
 
     b) Commit to a genuine dialogue with Burmese democratic 
and ethnic minority representatives, with the understanding 
that the UN is available to facilitate such dialogue as 
needed and desired by all parties; 
 
     c) Release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political 
prisoners and allow democratic and ethnic minority groups to 
consult with each other in preparation to participate in a 
dialogue with the regime; 
 
     d) Cease immediately the detention, arrest and 
prosecution of persons engaged in peaceful political 
activities. 
 
What the International Community Should Do 
------------------------------------------ 
 
-- The Security Council cannot remain silent while the 
Burmese regimes disregards the will of this Council and of 
the international community and obstructs Special Advisor 
Gambari's return to Burma. 
 
-- The international community and this Council must 
acknowledge publicly what the regime has done and what it has 
not.  If it continues to fail to meet its commitments to 
Special Advisor Gambari or to fulfill the requirements of the 
Council's Presidential Statement, the Security Council will 
have to consider additional measures. 
 
-- The United States calls on all responsible stakeholders in 
the international community to use whatever influence they 
have with the regime to impress upon it the need to cooperate 
with the UN and make real progress toward a transition to 
democracy. 
 
-- Should Special Advisor Gambari be permitted to return to 
Burma, the United States believes that he should focus his 
efforts on establishment of a political dialogue.  Other 
tracks such as creation of a poverty alleviation commission, 
while potentially worthwhile as a means of advancing the 
political dialogue, should be postponed until such a dialogue 
has been firmly established and is underway.  The United 
States does not support an effort to alter the regime's 
Constitution Drafting Commission absent or prior to the 
establishment of a genuine time-bound tripartite dialogue. 
 
-- Only by realizing a genuine transition to democracy, which 
has been called for by the entire international community, 
including Burma's neighbors in ASEAN, will Burma achieve the 
stability, prosperity and freedom that its people desire and 
deserve. 
 
End points. 
RICE