Saturday, 07 January 2012 13:31 Ko Wild
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Britain and other countries will help Burma achieve its dream about democracy, says Aung San Suu Kyi.
After meeting with British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Friday, she told reporters that she believes that international countries including Britain are cooperating in trying to achieve her dream of true freedom and democracy in Burma.
“Our friends in international countries including Britain will cooperate with us in trying to achieve our dreams,” she said. “Our dreams must have goals. We need to work hard, and if our friends are on our side, the dreams of the citizens will come true.”
On the last day of Hague’s visit to Burma, he met with National League for Democracy (NLD) leaders and ethnic leaders for 45 minutes at Suu Kyi’s home in Rangoon on Friday morning.
In response to questions, Hague said that regarding establishing democracy in Burma, Britain will be on the side of Suu Kyi and the NLD and it is important that more improvements take place in Burma in order that Britain can lift economic sanctions against the country.
“Before we review our sanctions, we want to see more improvements. Now, political prisoners are still being imprisoned. There are still arrests for political actions, so we cannot identify Burma as a free democratic country,” Hague said.
NLD leaders discussed how the European Union could help Burma’s pro-democracy movement, and ethnic leaders discussed peace in Burma and told Hague the Constitution does not cover ethnic people’s rights. In the meeting, Hague said that a EU branch office would be opened soon in Burma.
Ethnic leaders told Hague that the government still wages war in Kachin State. Hague said the British government understood the circumstances in ethnic areas of Burma.
In meetings between Hague and government leaders in Naypyitaw, Hague strongly urged the government to immediately release all political prisoners, to stop fighting as soon as possible and to establish peace.
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