Free Burma!

Signez la pétition d'ECOSY sur la Birmanie!

Free Aung San Suu Kyi

ECOSY - Young European Socialists campaign for freedom in Burma (more info). The European Union has to take a stronger stand towards the regime in Burma that continuous to violate basic human rights. Young European Socialists and Social Democrats demand:

We demand EU Support for further UN Security Council action:

• The EU has to make a strong stand within the UN Security Council to make sure a new resolution will be proposed
• The EU will also have to lobby at several governments making sure this time an agreement will be reached!

We have to support the ILO actions on Burma to send the military regime to the ICJ on the claim of forced labour:

• The ILO actions are based on the claim of wide use of forced labour within Burma. The Military junta is responsible for these violations of human rights. Therefore the Military junta has to be brought to the ICJ.

Extend assets freeze on government owned enterprises and government officials:

• This is already the case, although is could extended. Besides that, we want all assets of government officials to be freezed immediately! They are the real criminals!

Discourage imports B timber and MTE company on banning list:

• There is no EU discouragement policy on B timber at the moment. While B timber is the largest source of income for the military junta. We have to implement such a discouragement policy as soon as possible!

The importance of tri partite dialogue has to be emphasized !

• The best way to achieve democracy in Burma is through the tri partite dialogue, including all ethnic minorities, the opposition party NLD and the military junta. The EU has to clearly show that the find this important!

The EU has to increase support for projects to promote human rights and democracy:

• We need the democratic forces in and outside Burma to achieve democracy. The EU has to strengthen these democratic forces through subsidies and organisational trainings. The EU does send out humanitarian help to Birma, we are very happy about this. We do, however, feel this should be strengthened within the Common Position.

Strengthening cooperation on B with China, India and ASEAN:

• The EU has to lobby heavily on the diplomatic level within the ASEAN. Especially within this network a lot of diplomatic pressure. India and China have the strongest relationships with Birma, both diplomatically as economically. They both invest heavily in the regime, and export weapons to the regime in Birma.
• There is a strong chance a special free trade agreement between the EU and ASEAN will be signed in the coming months. In order to go ahead with this agreement, strong and strict agreements have to made on the case of human rights. Of course a special focus has to be placed on Burma.

Népal, l'accord passé inaperçu

Actualité internationale, on parle beaucoup ces jours-ci (et c'est bien normal) de l'éclatante victoire des démocrates aux élections de mid-term américaine. Je n'y reviendrai pas sur ce blog, tant les analyses sont nombreuses dans la blogosphère (aller voir ici par exemple). Aller voir aussi le site de l'ami Daraka, ancien représentant des YDS (Jeunes démocrates socialistes américains) à la IUSY.

Je reviendrai donc ici sur l'accord de paix historique signé au Népal entre le gouvernement et les rebelles maoïstes. Bref retour sur les récents évenements. Brutal anachronisme, l'année dernière le Roi dissout l'Assemblée Nationale et se proclame monarche absolu (voir ce que j'écrivais sur la question ici). Révolte populaire, durement réprimée (voir le communiqué de la IUSY ici). Mais rien n'arrête le peuple en colère. Avec le soutien de la rébellion armée maoïste, le roi doit reculer. Il rétablit les partis politiques et l'Assemblée Nationale. Un premier ministre est nommé, membre du Parti du Congrès Népalais. Les maoïstes soutiennent sans participer. Le roi reste roi (ca reste un compromis) mais est déssaisi de l'ensemble de ces pouvoirs. Aujourd'hui, et c'est la logique de l'histoire, les maoïstes signent un accord de paix. Les maoîstes s'engagent à abandonner la lutte armée et accepte de participer au gouvernement. Election d'une assemblée constituante l'année prochaine avec une question en suspend (divisant les partis politiques et les maoïstes): le roi restera-t-il roi ou le Népal deviendra-t-il une démocratie? Tout est ouvert. L'institution royale est traditionnellement très populaire au Népal. Cependant, la mascarade de l'année dernière a profondément décrédibilisé le roi et ses proches et dégouté les népalais. Espérons que le Népal retrouve la stabilité politique et une démocratie pleine et entière. Cet accord de paix donne espoir.


Update! Je rajoute ici le communiqué de la IUSY sur cet accord.

IUSY Statement “ Building a momentum for peace in Nepal”

For almost a decade Nepal has been hindered by a civil war that has killed almost 15,000 people and forced over 100,000 others to flee their homes. On the 7^th November we have seen a momentous step forward with the announcement of an agreement between the multi-party government and the Maoists in an effort to end the civil war.

IUSY warmly welcomes this historic pact, which we believe offers the people of Nepal an opportunity to end the armed conflict in their country, and to build sustainable peace within an inclusive and democratic state.

The rebel’s agreement with the new government marks a breakthrough for Nepal as the country seeks to restore stability to a political system still in turmoil after the Maoist backed uprising against the autocratic King Gyanendra. The agreement reached at midnight on Tuesday has been warmly welcomed by Nepalese politicians.

Nepal's rebel leader, Prachanda, has said the Maoists will use politics not violence to "meet the aspirations of the people's longing for peace". "Our experiences have shown we could not achieve our goals through armed revolution so we have chosen the path of negotiation and formed an alliance with the political parties," Prachanda told a news conference in Kathmandu just hours after the accord was reached.

As part of the accord the Maoists have promised that the parallel state which include parallel justice systems and ‘peoples government’ in much of Nepal would be dissolved once they entered government.

However IUSY is concerned that the agreement is silent on a ceasefire and human rights accord and on managing the Maoist militia and does not criminalize Maoist intimidation and extortions. The Rebels have stated that they would only respect human rights and democracy and the rule of law "when a new constitution and a new government is formed". IUSY urges all parties involved in forming a new government to ensure that measures must be negotiated and put in place in order to protect the human rights of all Nepalese People, without this a sustainable peace will not be reached.

Strong efforts to implement democratic change is crucial

The two sides hope to sign a comprehensive peace agreement by November 16, dissolve parliament and form an interim parliament by November 26. Nepal's transitional government will be formed by December 1. Before that, parliament will be expanded to take in 73 Maoist members, only two fewer than the biggest party, the Nepali Congress.

The thorny issue of the future of the already disempowered monarchy will be determined at the first gathering of a constituent assembly due to be elected by next June. A simple majority will decide the institution’s fate.

UN Support is essential in making peace in Nepal a reality.

In August Nepal’s Government and the Communist Party (Maoist) sent letters requesting UN help in areas ranging from human rights monitoring to electoral observation. This move followed a 10-day UN assessment mission to the country, during which time the Maoists also announced they were extending a three-month ceasefire.

Already under the newly announced peace accord, the rebels' will place their weapons under UN supervision. Furthermore, before the assembly election the rebels will be confined to seven camps. They will keep the keys to their weapons but will be separated from them and the UN will closely monitor the locks. IUSY hopes that this step will bring about an eventual decommissioning of arms amongst the rebel groups.

IUSY urges the UN and its Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan to respond promptly to the newly shaped political environment in Nepal in order to ensure a strong support for the peace process which we believe will assist greatly in maintaining the momentum for peace by assisting all sides of the conflict in carrying out fully their commitment under the peace agreement.