Burma Wants Peace With Ethnic Groups, Eu Commissioner Says

[Lite Beer]

Burma wants peace with ethnic groups, EU commissioner says

By Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Burma's new government has vowed to pursue peaceful solutions to its decades-old conflicts with ethnic minority groups that have forced thousands to flee the country, a European commissioner said Sunday after an official trip.

"The minister of border control strongly believes there must be peace, and it can only be achieved by fair treatment of ethnic minorities and by providing development opportunities for them," said Kristalina Georgieva, commissioner for international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response.

Georgieva was in Burma on Friday and Saturday when she met with Border Affairs Minister Thein Htay and other ministers of the government that took office on April 1.

Since 1995, the EU has given 103 million euros in humanitarian aid for 140,000 Karen refugees in camps along the Thai border. They are reluctant to return to Burma for fear of persecution by the army that has been fighting the Karen National Union for six decades.

The new government's policy towards such ethnic minority struggles has not yet been made clear, but Georgieva returned from Burma with an optimistic outlook.

"They believe in a pull factor through development," she said. "They believe that there needs to be peace and jobs and that after that, return will follow."

David Lipman, EU ambassador to Burma and Thailand, said Thein Htay hoped to begin peace talks soon with the ethnic groups.

"He did say that the government is committed to peace and he hopes that within the next few months they will have serious negotiations to that end," said Lipman, who has accompanied Georgieva.

It was Georgieva's first official trip to Burma, a pariah state among Western nations because of its human rights record, including documented atrocities committed against ethnic minorities seeking a measure of autonomy in their native territories.

After two decades of military rule, Burma now has an elected government, albeit one packed with former military men.

Georgieva's visit was aimed at winning assurances of better access to humanitarian aid and to find ways to boost preparedness against natural disasters.

Burma was devastated by Cyclone Nargis in 2009, leaving more than 140,000 people dead or missing, mostly in the Irrawaddy delta.

The natural disaster sparked international outrage with Burma's military rulers, who were reluctant to allow international aid workers in to help with disaster relief.

"Nargis was a horrendous tragedy," Georgieva said. "Very simple measures would have saved thousands of lives. It must not be repeated."

The commissioner met and praised opposition leader Suu Kyi, who spent 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest.

"Burma is lucky to have her as a guarantor for better things ahead and as the face and voice of the vulnerable people," she said of the Nobel laureate, who was freed from a seven-year house detention term on November 13

-- The Nation 2011-09-11

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16523691