[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 178 (Friday, November 16, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S14660]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         ENCOURAGING PEACEFUL TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY IN BURMA

  Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 56, submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent 
resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 56) encouraging the 
     Association of Southeast Asian Nations to take action to 
     ensure a peaceful transition to democracy in Burma.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution.
  Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc, and any statements relating 
to the concurrent resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 56) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 56

       Whereas hundreds of thousands of citizens of Burma have 
     risked their lives in demonstrations to demand a return to 
     democracy and respect for human rights in their country;
       Whereas the repressive military Government of Burma has 
     conducted a brutal crackdown against demonstrators, which has 
     resulted in mass numbers of killings, arrests, and 
     detentions;
       Whereas Burma has been a member of the Association of 
     Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since 1997;
       Whereas foreign ministers of other ASEAN member nations, in 
     reference to Burma, have ``demanded that the government 
     immediately desist from the use of violence against 
     demonstrators'', expressed ``revulsion'' over reports that 
     demonstrators were being suppressed by violent and deadly 
     force, and called for ``the release of all political 
     detainees including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi'';
       Whereas the foreign ministers of ASEAN member nations have 
     expressed concern that developments in Burma ``had a serious 
     impact on the reputation and credibility of ASEAN'';
       Whereas Ibrahim Gambari, the United Nations (UN) Special 
     Envoy to Burma, has called on the member nations of ASEAN to 
     take additional steps on the Burma issue, saying, ``Not just 
     Thailand but all the countries that I am visiting, India, 
     China, Indonesia, Malaysia and the UN, we could do more'';
       Whereas the ASEAN Security Community Plan of Action adopted 
     October 7, 2003, at the ASEAN Summit in Bali states that 
     ASEAN members ``shall promote political development . . . to 
     achieve peace, stability, democracy, and prosperity in the 
     region'', and specifically says that ``ASEAN Member Countries 
     shall not condone unconstitutional and undemocratic changes 
     of government'';
       Whereas the Government of Singapore, as the current Chair 
     of ASEAN, will host ASEAN's regional summit in November 2007 
     to approve ASEAN's new charter;
       Whereas the current Foreign Minister of Singapore, George 
     Yeo, has publicly expressed, ``For some time now, we had 
     stopped trying to defend Myanmar internationally because it 
     became no longer credible'';
       Whereas, according to the chairman of the High Level Task 
     Force charged with drafting the new ASEAN Charter, the 
     Charter ``will make ASEAN a more rules-based organization and 
     . . . will put in place a system of compliance monitoring 
     and, most importantly, a system of compulsory dispute 
     settlement for noncompliance that will apply to all ASEAN 
     agreements'';
       Whereas upon its accession to ASEAN, Burma agreed to 
     subscribe or accede to all ASEAN declarations, treaties, and 
     agreements;
       Whereas 2007 marks the 30th anniversary of the relationship 
     and dialogue between the United States and ASEAN;
       Whereas the Senate passed legislation in the 109th Congress 
     that would authorize the establishment of the position of 
     United States Ambassador for ASEAN Affairs, and the President 
     announced in 2007 that an Ambassador would be appointed; and
       Whereas ASEAN member nations and the United States share 
     common concerns across a broad range of issues, including 
     accelerated economic growth, social progress, cultural 
     development, and peace and stability in the Southeast Asia 
     region: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) joins the foreign ministers of member nations of the 
     Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that have 
     expressed concern over the human rights situation in Burma;
       (2) encourages ASEAN to take more substantial steps to 
     ensure a peaceful transition to democracy in Burma;
       (3) welcomes steps by ASEAN to strengthen its internal 
     governance through the adoption of a formal ASEAN charter;
       (4) urges ASEAN to ensure that all member nations live up 
     to their membership obligations and adhere to ASEAN's core 
     principles, including respect for and commitment to human 
     rights; and
       (5) would welcome a decision by ASEAN, consistent with its 
     core documents and its new charter, to review Burma's 
     membership in ASEAN and to consider appropriate disciplinary 
     measures, including suspension, until such time as the 
     Government of Burma has demonstrated an improved respect for 
     and commitment to human rights.

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