McConnell Praises Announcement of Additional Sanctions Against Burma
October 19, 2007
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell released the following statement Friday on the President’s announcement of additional sanctions against Burma:
“This afternoon, the President demonstrated his leadership in promoting democratic change in Burma. By increasing sanctions against the State Peace and Development Council, the President put the military junta on notice that the United States stands squarely with the Burmese people and at the forefront of the international effort to effect change in the troubled country.”
BACKGROUND:
Earlier this year, the Senate passed and the President signed into law legislation authored by Senators McConnell and Dianne Feinstein to renew sanctions against the Burmese government. “The Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act” includes an import ban on Burmese goods entering the U.S. and authorizes visa restrictions on officials from the regime -- the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).
The McConnell/Feinstein legislation maintains sanctions on the regime until changes are taken by the SPDC – changes that include taking concrete steps toward reconciliation and democratization, such as the full, unfettered participation of the National League for Democracy and ethnic minorities in the political affairs of the country, and the immediate, unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
This is the fifth consecutive year that Senators McConnell and Feinstein have worked together to extend the annual ban on imports from Burma.
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