Burmese paper views success of government's policy initiatives in 2001
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Dec 30, 2001
Burma's newspaper The Myanmar Times has said a government statement has highlighted 2001 as being a "winning" year for the country. It said it was clear that Burma's international image had improved significantly during the past year, noting visits by UN officials to facilitate the reconciliation process and its pressure on donor nations and organizations for extra aid for Burma. The newspaper also noted "gradual improvements" in ties with the USA and EU, as well as a stronger relationship with ASEAN nations, especially Thailand and Malaysia. It said ties had also grown with China, noting the Chinese president's recent visit to Burma. Burma's relations also developed with Pakistan and India. The following is the text of an article by Thet Khaing in the "National News" section entitled: "International image takes all round boost; Stress given to govt's winning moves in 2001", published in English by Burmese newspaper The Myanmar Times web site on 24 December
A recent government statement issued has served to underline the perception that 2001 has been a "winning" year for Myanmar [Burma]. The statement, issued on 10 December said all parties in Myanmar were on the "winning side" because they had a common objective of creating a functioning democracy.
It has become clear as the year neared an end that the hopes for achieving a mutually satisfying outcome were, perhaps, never more justified. What is clear is that the nation's international image received a significant boost in 2001 as the government's genuine desire in bringing about national reconciliation became more apparent.
The United Nations special envoy to Myanmar, Ismail Razali, visited the country four times throughout the year in a bid to facilitate the reconciliation process and on all of his visits met senior leaders of the country and the National League for Democracy. In his last visit just weeks ago he said he remained optimistic that progress on reconciliation would be stronger during the coming year.
The year also ended with a marked improvement in the relationship with the ILO [International Labour Organization], due mainly to the sensitive approach taken by the high-level team from the ILO which visited in September and October and to the cooperation it received from the government. One indication of the improvement in the relationship has been the government's willingness to consider a recommendation in a report by the high-level team that the ILO have a permanent presence in Myanmar.
Meanwhile, another UN initiative aimed at improving Myanmar's international standing also took a dramatic turn in 2001. The UN's special human rights envoy, Mr Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, impressed the government with his approach towards building trust which he demonstrated during two visits following his appointment in December 2000. Mr Pinheiro, a Brazilian academic, concluded that the human rights situation had improved, an assessment reflected in a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last November. The government said the resolution acknowledged positive developments but was not totally fair.
The past year also saw continued pressure exerted on donor nations and organizations by United Nations agencies in Myanmar. The most dramatic expression of concern about the country's need for more humanitarian aid was in a letter signed jointly by the heads of nine UN agencies in Yangon [Rangoon] and sent to their respective headquarters in New York, Geneva, Rome and Vienna. The letter, which was leaked to the media, said the provision of extra aid for Myanmar was a "moral and ethical necessity and obligation of the international community". The letter noted that Myanmar received Official Development Assistance of a 1 US dollars a head of population, compared to 35 dollars for Cambodia and 68 dollars for Laos, according to 1997 figures. The low level of ODA failed to uphold the minimum threshold to cover basic humanitarian needs in Myanmar, the letter warned.
In the international arena, gradual improvements have been noted in relations with the United States and the European Union. The Bush administration's policy against imposing further sanctions was outlined by its secretary of state, Colin Powell, who said "American hubris and arrogance" would not serve Washington's interests. Since the Bush administration came to office, Myanmar has been visited by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Daley and his predecessor, Ralph Boyce.
There was also a perceptible softening of the stand towards Myanmar by the European Union, which maintains a range of sanctions. The improvement in relations began in December 2000 after the EU dropped its opposition to Myanmar's involvement in any talks between the EU and ASEAN [Association for Southeast Asian Nations]. Relations further improved during the past year when Myanmar accepted a visit by an EU "troika" mission to Yangon last January. The EU said in October that it was cautiously optimistic about prospects for political change. Brussels allocated 4.6m dollars in aid after conducting a policy review. The EU said it intended to invite the Foreign Minister, U Win Aung, to Europe next year for an Asem (Asean-EU) summit, despite its visa ban on Myanmar government officials.
Regionally, the government's substantive steps towards a political transition have also resulted in a stronger relation with all of its ASEAN partners.Foreign Minister U Win Aung said in Hanoi after the annual ASEAN foreign ministers meeting last July that it had been his "easiest" compared to previous gatherings of the regional grouping which he had attended.Myanmar also forged a stronger relationship with Thailand following the election of the government Thaksin Shinawatra. A visit by Mr Thaksin in June resolved a border issue. A visit to Thailand by SPDC [State Peace and Development Council] Secretary-1 Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt in early September was clearly a huge success, producing a number of agreements on border trade, transport links and other issues. Economic ties have also figured prominently in relations with traditional ally Malaysia, with trade and investment dominating a visit by SPDC Chairman, Senior Gen Than Shwe, to Kuala Lumpur in September.
Business and diplomatic links have also grown with another traditional ally, China. The importance which China places on diplomatic and economic ties was highlighted during the recent visit of President Jiang Zemin, who described the two countries as fraternal friends. The past year has also seen the emergence of a new foreign policy emphasis, which emphasizes greater interaction with regional countries. The change in emphasis was outlined by SPDC Secretary 1 Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, in his capacity as chairman of the government's foreign policy committee. "We will cooperate more closely with our neighbouring countries in political, diplomatic, economic and social fields," Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt told foreign office officials in October.
Looking west, ties have also developed during the year with South Asia, including the region's two powers, India and Pakistan. Both see Myanmar as a strategic partner in their quest to develop closer economic ties with ASEAN. The Pakistani President Gen Pervez Musharraf visited in May, becoming the first non-ASEAN leader to travel to Myanmar in 13 years. Gen Musharraf said he wanted to see further improvements in the bilateral trade relationship.
Trade also played an important role in relations with India. New Delhi spent nearly 3m dollars to build a 160-km highway in Sagaing Division aimed at improving trading links with Myanmar. India's external affairs minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, who visited in February for events linked to the inauguration of the highway, said closer cooperation with Myanmar was in India's "national interest".