ETHNIC NATIONALITIES COUNCIL

ETHNIC NATIONALITIES COUNCIL
UNION OF BURMA

Statement No. 4/2006

Statement on United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Decision

(1)  The Ethnic Nationalities Council (Union of Union) warmly welcomes the decision on the political crisis of Union of Burma to put up in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) agenda, after the closed-door discussion on September 15th, 2006.

(2)  In September 2005, the Ethnic Nationalities Council (Union of Burma) issued a statement that warmly welcomed effort by former Czech President Vaclav Havel and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa to have the UNSC to take action on Burma.

(3)  The Ethnic Nationalities Council in October 2004 also welcomed a similar call by the United States of America. The Ethnic Nationalities Council called on the other Permanent Members of the Security Council - China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom, to also endeavour to put the case of Burma on the Security Council agenda.

(4)  Given the difficulties that the Union of Burma is today facing, the Ethnic Nationalities Council believes that it is appropriate for the UN Security Council to consider the case of Burma. The problems in Burma today are no longer its own internal affair. They are becoming international problems, be they the violation of human rights, the fifty-year-old civil war, or the political, economic and humanitarian problems in Burma - especially the issues of drug trafficking, HIV-AIDS and other infectious diseases spreading across Asia, the hundreds of thousands of refugees, illegal migrant workers in neighbouring countries, etc. They are becoming regional and international problems. To solve these problems it is crucial that the international community, especially UN Security Council, is involved.

(5)  Therefore, in order that the international community might be able to help resolve the problems of the Union of Burma, it is believed that a decision taken by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has been a signification step to resolve a long-standing political crisis in the Union of Burma.

(6)  The Ethnic Nationalities Council calls on our neighbours - China, India, Bangladesh and the ASEAN nations, to assist in this effort to bring Burma to the Security Council.  The ENC would like also to request China not to use its veto power when the case of Burma is submitted to the UNSC.

(7)  The Ethnic Nationalities Council further calls on the ruling State Peace and Development Council to consider the welfare of the people of Burma before its own interests.  The inclusion of all parties in the political process and the reconciliation of differences will go a long way in resolving the problems of Burma, preserving the role of the Tatmadaw and preventing Burma from becoming an international spectacle.

(8)  The Ethnic Nationalities Council is a body founded by the ethnic nationalities of the Union of Burma in order to be able to resolve the political problems we face by political means. Therefore, the Council welcomes the decision to put Burma on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. We trust that this will further lead to a ‘Tripartite Dialogue’ - the military, democracy advocates and the ethnic nationalities - and we declare that we will continue to work towards such a solution.

Ethnic Nationalities Council
(Union of Burma)

2006-09-16

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------