DECLARATION OF THE PRESIDENCY

ON BEHALF OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

CONCERNING BURMA

The European Union expresses its concern about the absence of open and meaningful dialogue on constitutional reform involving all sectors of opinion in Burma including the NLD, recently being forced to abandon the National Convention.

The European Union firmly believes that dialogue will help prevent confrontation and offers the best hope of national reconciliation. We therefore call upon the State Law and Order Restoration Council to engage in dialogue with all of Burma's political and ethnic groups and to increase their efforts to achieve national reconciliation and multi­party democracy. At the same time, we urge all parties concerned to proceed with caution and to take all possible steps to avoid a return to violence.

Norway, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Letvia, Lithuania, Poland, Rumania and Slovakia associate themselves with this declaration.