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Background Briefing:U.S. Opens Dialogue withBurmaCarlyle A. ThayerOctober 1, 2009
[client name deleted]Question: What do you think about Sui Kyi's new stance on sanctioning Burma, and do youthink that the policy of both "engaging and sanctioning" that Hillary Clinton mentioned is easyto achieve?Answer: Aung San Suu Kyi recent comments supporting a dialogue between Burma and theUnited States came with a rider, that the military regime must also open a dialogue with thedemocratic opposition. She is reacting to the revelation that Burma has taken the initiative tosuggest a high-level dialogue with the United States. This development occurred at the sametime as a seven month Burma policy review by the Obama Administration concluded. ThePresident has already indicated a new approach to the legacy of dealing with difficultcountries left by the Bush Administration. President Obama has offered an open hand.The President’s more conciliatory approach has now been applied to Burma policy. The USpolicy review found that neither isolation nor engagement had had any measurable impact onthe behavior of the Burma regime. Secretary Clinton put it these words, “engagement versussanctions is a false choice, in our opinion.” The US found that there was widespreadinternational consensus that it was time for change and that regional states looked to USleadership. The US in turn asked regional states to sound out Burma. Washington quicklylearned through these indirect contacts as well as directly that Burma was ready to participatein a dialogue.Burma has been more forthcoming in dealing with the UN sanctions regime against NorthKorea and has pledged its support to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1874. KurtCampbell noted that Burma played “a positive role behind the scenes” in recent efforts toenforce sanctions against North Korea. This probably refers to the military junta’s refusal to leta North Korean ships suspected of carrying weapons dock in Burma. The US quickly pickedup on this positive development.The US and Burma have now held their first meeting on the sidelines of the United NationsGeneral Assembly in New York. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell met with acabinet-level official from Burma. Campbell has made clear in public remarks and testimonyto the Senate Foreign Relations sub-committee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs thatdialogue with Burma does not mean the lifting of sanctions. Campbell made clear that that USwill not conduct dialogue just for dialogue’s sake and the US reserves the right to imposefurther sanctions if warranted. According to Campbell, “we need additional tools to augmentthose that we have been using in pursuit of our objectives. A policy of pragmatic engagementwith the Burmese authorities holds the best hope for advancing our goals.” In sum, the USwould “change its methods not its goals.”The US seeks a sustained dialogue. Initially, the US hopes to see the dialogue addressseveral areas where American interests overlap with those of Burma, such as counter-narcotics, health and environmental protection. The US would also like to press forcooperation in searching for the remains of US servicemen who died during the Second
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