BURMA: U.S. Diplomat Meets With Junta

A senior U.S. diplomat made an unexpected visit to Burma, in the hopes of shaping a new policy America takes with the ruling military junta.

Stephen Blake, the State Department's director of the Office for Mainland Southeast Asia, was the first American diplomat to visit Naypyidaw, the government's new location. This visit came a month after the new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. would be reviewing its policies toward the Burma, in hopes of making some headway in terms of human rights and to "more effectively help the Burmese people". Gordon Druguid, spokesman for the State Department, was careful to note that this does not indicate a change in policy towards the junta, but said, "While we have not yet finalized our approach, we remain committed to encouraging a genuine dialogue between the Burmese authorities and opposition that leads to a free and democratic Burma that respects the rights of its diverse citizens and is at peace with its neighbors."

Blake met with 3 different groups during his trip: the foreign minister, U Nyan Win; the opposition party, National League for Democracy (NLD); and representatives of the minority group, which has recently been in the news for suffering human rights abuses.

The Burmese state-run newspaper, New Light of Myanmar, described the talks as "cordial discussions on issues of mutual interests and promotion of bilateral relations".

The State Department made note that visits like this have happened before with people of Blake's seniority, but the junta noted it was the first diplomat to do so. Blake's visit was part of a five nation tour in the region.

I believe that this visit is a good sign that Burma is not off the new administration's radar. The pointed words by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton show a commital to the mission of bringing democracy to Burma. She was reported saying, "Clearly, the path we have taken in imposing sanctions hasn’t influenced the Burmese junta." This blunt language and proposed change in policy should be recognized and applauded. Ideally, the United States would also put pressure on nations in the ASEAN to speak up, and try to generate more of a response from the official international community.

Also, it's good to hear that after 18 years the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has declared that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's detention is a violation of international and Myanmar law. Maybe in another 15 years we can get some action in Darfur.

--by Alex Hammer