Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

A country that was once termed the "rice bowl of Asia" has over many years been reduced to abject and desperate poverty in many of its regions by mismanagement, corruption and military offensives against Burma's own people. A country rich in natural resources is now one of the ten poorest countries in the world, its wealth in precious metals, stones, minerals and hardwoods plundered by the military. There is massive diversion of state resources towards maintaining the military elite, with 40% of the national budget spent on defence, while its health care system is ranked by the WHO as 190th out of 191 surveyed nations. Chronic levels of inflation, notably a five-fold increase in fuel prices last August, sparked protests which were brutally put down by the military on 25 September.

The people of Burma have long made clear their demands for democracy, freedom, justice and economic security but these aspirations have been met by censorship, rejection, intimidation and brutal force. The overwhelming victory of the democratic opposition party, the NLD led by Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, in the 1990 elections was overturned by the military regime and opposition leaders, and anyone seen to be critical of the regime, imprisoned or otherwise silenced. On 9 February 2008, the Burmese Government announced it would hold a referendum on a new constitution in May, to be followed by multi-party democratic elections in 2010. The referendum is the fourth step in the regime's deeply flawed seven-step road map to democracy. The previous step, drafting the new constitution, was a 14-year process, from which relevant political stakeholders, including the democratic opposition and representatives of ethnic minorities were excluded. No real progress has been made in seeking to allay any of the international community's concerns that the road-map process is a political tool to guarantee a permanent role for the military in the future governance of Burma. The decision of the Burmese Government to ignore this major humanitarian disaster and proceed in most of its territory with this already fundamentally flawed referendum must be definitively deplored. Reports indicate the regime has sought to push through the new constitution with violence, intimidation and vote-rigging. This referendum cannot in any way be regarded as reflecting the real wishes of the people of Burma. It has done nothing to assist the long-term stability and democratic development of that country. Rather, by prioritising the referendum over aid distribution, the regime has put at risk hundreds of thousands of lives.

Ultimately, the only sustainable solution to the political situation in Burma is credible dialogue on democratic reform with the opposition and ethnic groups. The Irish Government continues to support the role of the UN Secretary General and that of his special envoy, Dr. Ibrahim Gambari, who was appointed after the crisis of last autumn. Dr. Gambari's good offices mission offers the best path to encourage the ending of the political crisis and achieving national reconciliation. So far, the Burmese authorities have not engaged seriously with the UN. It is vital that they do so.

Burma's neighbours, including ASEAN members and China, have a key role to play in encouraging the Burmese regime towards genuine dialogue and reform. Bilaterally and through the EU we continue to urge their proactive engagement in pressing the Burmese regime towards national reconciliation, dialogue and democracy. While, particularly last autumn, some of Burma's neighbours exerted a more active influence than heretofore, this has not so far been as sustained or effective as it needs to be. Both Dr. Gambari and UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon have stressed the importance of tangible action by the Burmese regime, and have rightly made clear that the patience of the international community is running out. We believe the Security Council should be engaged in efforts to find sustainable solutions to both the immediate and longer-term problems facing the country. In the meantime, I cannot but strongly condemn the behaviour of this brutal regime that continues to put its own survival ahead of the lives of its citizens, to rule on the back of violence and repression and to ignore the aspirations of its people for freedom, justice and democracy.