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US urges Burma to release more political prisoners |
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by Mizzima News
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Tuesday, 24 February 2009 18:47 |
New Delhi (Mizzima) – The United States while welcoming Burma’s move to free political prisoners as part of the regime’s amnesty to over 6,000 prisoners urged the junta to release the rest of the political prisoners including pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Robert Wood, US State department’s acting spokesperson on Monday, during a regular press briefing said, “… obviously, the release of any political prisoners is something we would welcome, but a lot more needs to be done.”
“But we call on the Burmese regime to release all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi,” Wood said.
The call came in the wake of the Burmese ruling junta on Saturday releasing over 6,313 prisoners from prisons across the country, which included at least 23 political prisoners.
Wood also said that US is reviewing its policy on Burma, as the current policy of imposing sanctions has not worked.
He said US is finding a new way to engage the Burmese junta to change its behaviour in consultation with the international community including the United Nations.
“And we’ve got to try to figure out a way to move the Burmese Government in the direction that we want them to move in,” Wood said.
The Secretary of the State department, Hillary Clinton, during her four-nation Asian tour, said in Indonesia that US sanctions as well as regional countries engagement policies have both failed to make the Burmese junta change.
“And it’s – you know, it’s something the Secretary cares very deeply about. And she’s frustrated, as we all are, that, you know, things have not progressed the way we’d like to have seen them progress,” Wood said.
“So – but the review is still on,” he added.
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