BurmaNet News: May 19 2003 Continued

[editor at burmanet.org]

May 19 2003 Issue #2239 Continued

STATEMENTS

White House: Continuation of the national emergency with respect to Burma
Myanmar Information Committee: Myanmar reassures Washington on "imaginary
fears"

STATEMENTS

White House May 16 2003

NOTICE: CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO BURMA

THE WHITE HOUSE, Office of the Press Secretary

     On May 20, 1997, the President issued Executive Order 13047,
certifying to the Congress under section 570(b) of the Foreign
Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations
Act, 1997 (Public Law 104-208), that the Government of Burma has
committed large-scale repression of the democratic opposition in
Burma after September 30, 1996, thereby invoking the prohibition on
new investment in Burma by United States persons contained in that
section. The President also declared a national emergency to deal
with the threat posed to the national security and foreign policy of
the United States by the actions and policies of the Government of
Burma, invoking the authority, inter alia, of the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.

     Because actions and policies of the Government of Burma continue to
pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and
foreign policy of the United States, the national emergency declared
on May 20, 1997, and the measures adopted on that date to deal with
that emergency must continue in effect beyond May 20, 2003. 
Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the
National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year
the national emergency with respect to Burma.  This notice shall be
published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.
                         GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
May 16, 2003.
__________

Myanmar Information Committee May 18 2003

Myanmar  Reassures Washington on "Imaginary Fears"

The Government of Myanmar was interested to hear that Myanmar poses "an
unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign
policy of the United States," as U.S. President George W. Bush noted on
May 16, when he declared a state of national emergency.

The Government of Myanmar would like to reassure President Bush that the
United States of America has nothing to fear from our country.  We are a
small, peaceful nation whose people are primarily farmers.  We live in
harmony with our neighbors, and are a responsible member of the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other international
organizations.

We have no weapons of mass destruction, no terrorist organizations, no
missile programs, no expansionist ambitions,  and no animosity whatsoever
towards the United States.  The Myanmar people are primarily Buddhist, a
religion notable for its peacefulness and tolerance toward others. We have
135 different national races living together in harmony.
And our per capita GDP is only 1/100 that of the United States.
So it is quite odd to hear that we pose an "extraordinary threat" to the
most powerful country on earth. Our goals are very simple: to develop our
country economically and politically. We would like to encourage the
United States to join us in peacefully achieving these goals.  We believe
that cooperation, not confrontation, is the path to progress, and we urge
the United States to put aside its imaginary fears and join the people of
Myanmar in our peaceful and stable political transition to a democracy.