Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 7: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether the European Union should be present at Asia Regional Forum and ASEAN post-ministerial meetings if Burma chairs ASEAN in 2006 and an unaccountable Government is at that time in place in Burma. [13554/05]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 24: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding the detention of a person (details supplied) in Burma; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13505/05]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 29: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's and the European Union's position on the military junta in place in Burma; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13553/05]

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 67: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the European Union will explicitly state that it will not accept the outcome of the current national convention convened by the ruling State Peace and Development Council in Burma unless it meets minimum democratic standards and that it will not attend the Asia Regional Forum and ASEAN post-ministerial meetings if Burma chairs those meetings in 2006 unless an accountable Government is in place. [13470/05]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 74: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of his recent meeting with the Director of the European Office for the Development of Democracy in Burma, Harn Yawnghwe. [13565/05]

Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 24, 29, 67 and 74 together.

The Government has consistently condemned the lack of progress towards democracy in Burma and the continuing abuse of human rights and fundamental freedoms in that country. Together with our EU partners, we remain gravely concerned about the continuing house arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, other opposition activists and a number of MPs elected in 1990.

On 2 December 2004, the Minister for Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the decision of the Burmese Government to extend the detention under house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi for another year. The Minister also called on the Burmese authorities to allow the special envoy of the Secretary General, Razali Ismail, to travel to Burma at the earliest opportunity, including for the purpose of visiting Aung San Suu Kyi. The EU Presidency issued a similar statement on 10 December 2004.

On 2 March 2005, the Minister for Foreign Affairs met Harn Yawnghwe, Director of the European Office for the Development of Democracy in Burma, which is a joint project of the European Commission and the Olaf Palme International Centre of Sweden. Mr. Yawnghwe was accompanied by members of Burma Action Ireland. The meeting provided a useful opportunity to reiterate the Government's position in support of democracy, human rights and national reconciliation in Burma and also to detail Ireland's response to the impact in that country of the recent tsunami. The discussions also looked forward to the EU-ASEAN foreign ministers meeting scheduled for later that month.

I represented Ireland at this meeting which was held in Jakarta from 10 to 11 March 2005. The meeting included a frank exchange of views on the situation in Burma. Together with my EU colleagues, I was the first speaker to call for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the re-opening of all National League for Democracy offices and the full involvement of all opposition parties and ethnic groups in the work of the National Convention which had resumed deliberations on 17 February 2005 but without participation by the opposition. Ireland and our EU partners again urged Burma to allow full access to the special representative of the UN Secretary General who last visited that country in March 2004.

Unfortunately, the National Convention, in the absence of the main opposition, lacked credibility and it was adjourned on 31 March 2005 by the Burmese authorities to an unspecified date in the autumn. On 14 April 2005, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights passed without a vote a resolution introduced by the EU and co-sponsored by Ireland criticising systematic violation of human rights in Burma, calling for the restoration of democracy and freedom for all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi. When the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, met the Burmese Prime Minister, Than Shwe, during the Asia-Africa summit in Jakarta on 23 April 2005, he repeated the concern of the international community about the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and the need for democratic reform.

In response to the lack of progress in Burma, on 25 April 2005, the General Affairs and External Relations Council agreed to extend the EU Common Position on Burma for a further 12 months. The Common Position includes a visa ban on named senior members of the Burmese regime and members of their families aged over 18 years as well as a freeze on all their financial assets in the European Union. It also prohibits EU-registered companies from financing loans to named Burmese state-owned enterprises. The forthcoming ASEM, Asia-Europe foreign ministers' meeting, which is scheduled for 6 to 7 May 2005 in Kyoto, will provide an early opportunity to reiterate EU concerns about the situation in Burma to the Burmese authorities and their Asian neighbours.

While the members of ASEAN generally defend the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs, concern that the rotating chairmanship of the organisation is due to be held by Burma in 2006 has been growing among a number of its members. The ASEAN foreign ministers held an informal meeting in the Philippines on 11 and 12 April and agreed to defer a decision on this issue until their formal ministerial meeting in Laos in July. On 20 April 2005, the Philippines Senate unanimously approved a resolution that Burma should not assume the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2006 unless there had been an improvement in the human rights situation, including the freeing of Aung San Suu Kyi. Ireland and our EU partners, however, wish to see Burma's neighbours pressing much more strongly for progress towards democracy in that country.

The EU will now await the outcome of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting in Laos in July before taking a decision on the question of the Union's presence or otherwise at the Asia Regional Forum and ASEAN post-ministerial meetings during 2006. We are aware that the United States indicated last year that it would not attend ASEAN-related meetings with Burma in the chair. However, it is appropriate in the context of EU-ASEAN relations to allow for further discussion of this issue in ASEAN before coming to a decision on the EU's position. Regarding the outcome of the National Convention, now standing adjourned once more, it is clear that an eventual outcome falling short of minimum democratic standards would not be acceptable to Ireland or the EU.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. As he attended the meeting in Jakarta, can he indicate the response of the Burmese delegation to the intervention he made?

Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The response was robust, defensive, protectionist and to the effect that it did not like interference by another state in its internal affairs. However, we were strong. I have a personal interest in this issue. I was pleased to be there. As one of the earlier speakers, on behalf of Ireland, I made a strong case for our demands. I was pleased there was a strong and solid cohesive response from my fellow colleagues in the European Union supporting our stance.

Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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In view of the fact that ASEAN will be virtually chaired by a military junta, does the Minister of State consider that the EU action will be compromised by the fact that France is threatening to veto any proposal to boycott the meetings under the chairmanship of Burma? Total, a French oil company, has massive investment in Burma and France wants to protect that investment. Will the Minister of State assure the House that policy towards Burma will not be dictated by French self-interest?

Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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There are many countries across the world that have commercial interests in countries in different parts of the world, particularly in areas where there is terrorism, discrimination and a lack of basic human rights. However, I am optimistic in this regard as a result of the decision taken by at least one country to call on Burma not to chair the summit later this year. We did not expect that. There was a united effort from all the adjoining countries to Burma to protect the rights of the Burmese nation from interference by outside interests or countries. As a result of the change that has taken place since the meeting I attended in Jakarta, I am reasonably optimistic there will be considerable pressure on Burma in this respect and that it might have to review its position vis-a-vis its chairmanship of the summit.

The European Union and Ireland, will be guided by our commitment to human rights and democracy. I am confident that a collective decision will be a positive one towards which we can work. Irrespective of the position any member state of the Union takes, a majority view will always guide what is best in the common good of the global world.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Why did the European Union and Ireland allow Burma to join ASEAN last year, despite the fact that it had not made progress on democracy, human rights and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi? Why did the Government permit that to happen? Is it not the case that the Government was sending a signal that we were really going by the Chinese agenda of not including human rights as an issue?

Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland and the European Union will be guided by the principle of inclusion and dialogue and exerting pressure internally rather than external communication that would not have a major impact. On that basis, it was considered it would be preferable to try to bring these people to the table, get them to see their ways and get them to accept the consensus and the demand not only from Ireland and the European Union but from the greater global world that they change and adhere to total democratic means. That is what guided the approach of Ireland and the European Union at that time.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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There were no commercial reasons behind it?

Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Certainly not from an Irish point of view.

Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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However, there was from a French point of view.