New York, September 10: A leading human rights group on Thursday asked the Obama administration to appoint a Special US Envoy on Myanmar and promptly conclude its policy review on the military ruled Asian nation.
In a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, New York-based Human Rights Watch said the United States should appoint its own special envoy on Myanmar.
The Envoy would have a direct line to the Secretary of State and specific instructions to engage in a principled way with the government in Yangon and key bilateral and multilateral actors.
Vigorous diplomacy is specifically needed with China, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Japan, it said. It also recommended the establishment of a Burma Contact Group or similar form of multilateral grouping to meet and regularly discuss diplomatic engagement with the Burmese government on a range of issues.
“This could have the effect of converging the views and policies of China, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, the European Union, and the UN, and gradually minimise the ability of Burma to play states off against each other,” it said.
There is considerable common ground on a range of issues, including the need for political reform and credible elections involving the political opposition, concern over Burma’s trafficking in heroin and methamphetamines, and the need for a regional approach to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Such a grouping would demand that the US remain firm on fundamental human rights principles and not engage in diplomatic horse-trading on core issues of reform, the statement argued.
Calling for a prompt conclusion of the Burma policy review, Asia director at Human Rights Watch Brad Adams said delays in announcing a new Burma policy could encourage Burmese military leaders to believe the US is weakening its commitment to human rights and pluralism.
“Although the situation in Burma seems intractable, an energetic and revitalised approach to Burma from the Obama administration could help bring positive change,” he said.
–Agencies