France and UK's open letter to Aung San Suu Kyi

June 19, Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy

Open Letter to Aung San Suu Kyi

Dear Aung San Suu Kyi,

We wish to use this opportunity, on the occasion of your birthday, to

reaffirm our commitment to your lifelong struggle to achieve democracy and

humanity in Burma. You have sacrificed your freedom for the freedom of

others. You have shown exceptional courage and dedication to your people.

Your release from house arrest and your freedom to participate in Burma's

political future remain essential. We believe the recent referendum lacks

credibility as a genuine reflection of the people's will and the new

constitution cannot provide a sound basis for Burma's future political

development. We call on the Government of Burma to set in motion, without

delay, a fully inclusive political process which involves representatives

of the full range of civil opposition and ethnic groups.

We welcome your readiness to have a genuine and meaningful dialogue with

the military leadership to find a way out of the current stalemate. We are

convinced that this voice of humanity and reason will be heard, as people

must now realize that bold initiatives and compromises are required and

that the present situation is neither satisfactory nor sustainable.

We are very concerned by the humanitarian situation following Cyclone

Nargis, and greatly saddened that Burma's people, already deprived of

basic human freedoms and economic opportunities, have fallen victim to

such a major natural disaster. We were further deeply saddened that offers

of international aid were not taken up at a sufficient scale at the

outset, but we are pleased that ASEAN countries and the ASEAN Secretary

General were able to initiate a response, and that Ban Ki-Moon has given

his personal support to the process. The work of the regional and

international aid agencies has been encouraging, however more needs to be

done to ensure aid reaches all the people in acute need and to prevent

further suffering and loss of life. The UK and France have immediately

committed themselves to helping the relief effort and will support the

ASEAN mechanism for longer term reconstruction. The success of the

international effort will rely on the actions and conditions set by the

Government of Burma.

We admire your strength in reconciling the hopes of Burma's many groups

and dedication to the country's national integrity. We will not forget you

or your people in this struggle.

Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy