Friday, August 14, 2009

The Council adopts additional restrictive measuresagainst Burma/Myanmar


In reaction to the verdict against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and given the gravity of the violation of her fundamental rights, the Council today adopted a Common Position imposing a new set of targeted measures against Burma/Myanmar. The renewal of the Common Position was announced in a Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the EU on 11 August 2009, which condemned the unjustified trial of and the verdict against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and urged her unconditional release.
Under the new restrictive measures, members of the judiciary responsible for the verdict are added to the existing list of persons and entities subject to a travel ban and to an assets freeze. Moreover, the list of persons and entities subject to the restrictive measures is extended to cover the assets freeze to enterprises that are owned and controlled by members of the regime in Burma/Myanmar or by persons or entities associated with them.

The present EU measures are the latest of a series of measures which the EU initially adopted in 1996 (Common Position 96/635/CFSP), such as banning arms exports, visa restrictions on members of the regime, their allies and families, limiting diplomatic contacts and freezing officials' offshore accounts, and suspending non-humanitarian aid or development programmes. The EU, following closely the situation in Burma/Myanmar, has since then updated, renewed and extended the restrictive measures against the military regime, those who benefit most from its misrule, and those who actively frustrate the process of national reconciliation, respect for human rights and progress towards democracy. Thus, the new targeted measures update and strengthen the existing Common Position (2009/351/CFSP) which expires on 30 April 2010.

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