Full text from WSJ
As leaders from the U.S. and European Union signal their willingness to consider easing long-standing sanctions against Myanmar, the political head of the Karen National Union—one of the key ethnic insurgent groups embroiled in a long-running conflict with the country's military—is urging the international community to wait for more political reforms and a last national cease-fire before lifting trade curbs.
"The international community should not rush too fast" into lifting sanctions, said Zipporah Sein, the group's general secretary. "They should wait a little bit."
Just last week, the possibility of an end to the long-running ethnic conflict between the Karen group and Myanmar's government seemed within reach as leaders of the movement met with President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi—the highest-level peace talks the group has had since a tentative cease-fire agreement was inked in January.
On Friday, British Prime Minister David Cameron is scheduled to meet with top Myanmar leaders and Ms. Suu Kyi, and has said Britain will help push to end sanctions if he is satisfied that real political change is underway.
Still, Ms. Zipporah Sein told The Wall Street Journal in a telephone interview that this is just "the first step" forward, and that the government still "needs to go further" to prove its commitment to a lasting peace process.
In a statement released Sunday, officials from the Karen group said Mr. Thein Sein had affirmed his commitment to removing the KNU from a list of outlawed organizations. Ms. Zipporah Sein said subsequent meetings with the government centered on formulating a "code of conduct" for a cease-fire and its implementation, including how the Myanmar military—accused of systematic campaigns of torture and rape—should treat ethnic minority civilians.
"We need to see if they follow the code of conduct well," she said. "We want to go slowly [through the peace process], but effectively."
The Myanmar government couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
The ending of long-standing ethnic conflict—along with free and fair elections and the release of political prisoners—is among the conditions for the lifting of U.S. and EU sanctions on the once-isolated Southeast Asian nation. The latest peace talks are viewed by many analysts as part of a longer-term plan to transform the former military state into a fully democratic nation able to trade freely with the West instead of depending heavily on China for aid.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been plagued by guerilla ethnic wars in its northern and eastern states since independence in 1948. Many Western leaders have been encouraged by Ms. Suu Kyi's win at the country's April by-elections, believing it will give her and her National League for Democracy a greater say in the country's parliamentary process—though they still hold a minority in government. Mr. Thein Sein and Ms. Suu Kyi met Wednesday ahead of the Nobel peace laureate's entry into parliament.
Some observers say that the impetus behind the peace talks is primarily economic. The Karen insurgency is one of the country's largest and most important – not only because the population makes up about 7% of Myanmar's total but also owing to their location in strategic areas, including Myanmar's border with Thailand and the area around a proposed port at Dawei Special Economic Zone, a large construction project.
Though Ms. Zipporah Sein said she has been encouraged by the seriousness of talks so far, she added that "economic development is key" for Myanmar's government.
"The president believes there should be peace and the country should be developed," she said. "Unless there is a cease-fire, they know the country won't get developed."
She also acknowledged that many within the Karen group are concerned that despite the peace talks, forced labor and other forms of oppression will remain.
Some human-rights watchdogs, such as the International Crisis Group, have called for the immediate lifting of sanctions on Myanmar, but others say ethnic conflict remains. In a 676-page report issued in late January, Human Rights Watch said the Myanmar military continues to "violate international humanitarian law" through extrajudicial killings, torture and abusive forced labor in the Kachin, Shan and Karen states. The report alleged that army units in the Karen state specifically force rebel convicts to work in combat zones, using them as human shields to clear landmines or to deter attacks.
The KNU says it remains optimistic that the army will follow the new code of conflict on implementing cease-fires. The government has opened a hotline for communicating with the KNU and will continue to discuss plans for a lasting cease-fire, with the next meeting scheduled for the end of May.
Though the rebel group has met with members from the highest level of government, Ms. Zipporah Sein said their meetings with members of the military have been restricted to only those at the local and state levels, and that the group now is trying to meet top military commanders.
"The process will take time, but we are committed to work on the peace process," she said. "If the government wants to change, they can."
No comments:
Post a Comment