Norwegian Foreign Minister Jagland urges Burmese authorities to engage in dialogue

Norwegian Foreign Minister Jagland urges Burmese authorities to engage in dialogue

- I strongly urge the Burmese authorities to engage in a constructive dialogue with the National League for Democracy (NLD) under the leadership of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and with ethnic groups, says Norwegian Foreign Minister Thorbjørn Jagland on the tenth anniversary of Aung San Suu Kyi's victory at the 1990 parliamentary elections. This dialogue is vital to democratic development in Burma, says the foreign minister.

- The situation in Burma is characterized by serious violations of human rights, forced labour and oppression of the democratic opposition. The arrests of members of the NLD just before the date of the tenth anniversary gives further cause for concern, says Jagland.

The Foreign Minister emphasises that the Norwegian Government wants to strengthen its contact with the Burmese government-in-exile and other representatives of the democratic movement. Norwegian diplomats recently met representatives of the Burmese opposition in Thailand and in the United States to discuss, among other things, how best to support democratic development in Burma.