 BRUSSELS - The European Union signalled a shift of emphasis in policy towards MyanmarÂ’s ruling junta on Friday, saying its main focus was on encouraging steps towards democracy rather than exerting pressure with sanctions.
| Boy howdy that soft power thing really works, doesn't it? |
After the Myanmar leadershipÂ’s bloody crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy protests in September, the 27-member bloc approved toughened economic and other sanctions in November and threatened more a month later if repression did not ease.
But Piero Fassino, the EU’s special envoy to the region, said it was clear Asian states did not back the use of sanctions as mooted by EU and US officials. ‘Sanctions are not central, they are not the objective in themselves. The core of our strategy is ensuring that a dialogue opens in Myanmar,’ Fassino said after meetings in Brussels.
| "A condemnation before lunch shall suffice." |
‘Asian states are very sensitive to the issue of regional stability ... They are not favourable (to sanctions). We have to take that into account and respect that. They prefer a strategy of persuasion,’ he told a news conference.
He said it was too early to assess the impact of EU sanctions introduced in November, which target more than 1,200 firms in Myanmar and impose visa bans and asset freezes on its military rulers. It is up to EU member states to apply such measures nationally.
| Any bets about how the French are applying the sanctions? The Germans? |
Asked whether the EU had scrapped any plans to tighten sanctions, he said the priority of its policy now was to support an early visit to the country by UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari and to see what emerged from that. ‘We shall see whether Mr Gambari can go and what his visit achieves. After that we shall evaluate,’ he added, stressing that Gambari should go as soon as possible.
The UN Security Council upbraided Myanmar on Thursday for slow progress on reforms since the September protests, including dragging its heels on the release of political prisoners and in pursuing a genuine dialogue with opposition leaders.
| Was that a standard upbraiding or a strongly-worded one? |
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