U.S. SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY AND
HUMAN RIGHTS IN BURMA

The United States condemns in the strongest terms efforts by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), formerly known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), to prevent the citizens of Burma from exercising their basic political rights. The United States wants an end to human rights abuses and the installation of a democratically elected government in Rangoon, and supports the aspirations of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the people of Burma, who desire what so many others around the world now take for granted: the chance to freely express their views and to be represented by leaders of their choosing.

Burma cannot fully rejoin the international community and gain the assistance it needs until fundamental changes are made. The United States maintains its position that a meaningful political dialogue between the Burmese authorities and the democratic opposition leaders and representatives of the ethnic groups is the only path to a solution of Burma's crisis.