US embassy cable - 03RANGOON1644

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 001644 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE ALSO FOR EAP/BCLTV; 
USPACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/28/2013 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, BM, ASSK, Ethnics 
SUBJECT: CEASE-FIRE ETHNICS VIEW ASSK DIALOGUE AS ROAD MAP 
PRECONDITION 
 
REF: RANGOON 1585 
 
Classified By: CDA, a.i. Ronald McMullen for Reasons 1.5 (B,D) 
 
1. (C) Summary: A leading coalition of ethnic minority 
political parties, associated with Burma's cease-fire groups, 
insists that the SPDC must engage with ASSK and other 
political leaders before reconvening a National Convention. 
The coalition also demands that the country's ethnic groups 
must be able to select their own delegates to the Convention 
and that subsequent steps in the regime's "road map" must be 
the product of a tripartite dialogue.  The regime is unlikely 
to take heed and will instead reserve its negotiating chits 
to deal with the country's active insurgent movements.  End 
summary. 
 
2. (SBU) In a letter to the U.S. Embassy dated December 10, 
the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA), a leading coalition 
of ethnic opposition parties, lambasted the SPDC's attempts 
to reconvene a National Convention as "an insult to the will 
of the (Burmese) people and the civilized international 
community."  The UNA acknowledges that the regime's 
seven-point "road map" for a transition to democracy had some 
merit, but the alliance is highly critical of the SPDC's plan 
to resume the same flawed Convention process that was 
abandoned in 1996. 
 
3. (SBU) According to the UNA, the ethnic parties have a 
"serious desire to participate in the political process of 
national building" and view the National Convention, if 
genuine and democratic, as an essential step to achieve a new 
constitution, political stability, and economic development. 
However, according to the UNA, the SPDC is manipulating the 
process by hand-picking pro-regime Convention delegates, 
neglecting democratic principles, and ignoring the UNGA Burma 
resolution. 
 
4. (SBU) In its December 10 letter, the UNA stated its view 
that the regime must take three key steps prior to 
reconvening the National Convention: 
 
--engage in a substantive political dialogue with ASSK and 
other political leaders, including representatives from the 
ethnic groups; 
 
--accord each group participating in the Convention the right 
to select its own delegates; 
 
--implement subsequent steps in the "road map" on the basis 
of a tripartite dialogue among the SPDC, the NLD, and the 
ethnic nationalities. 
 
5. (C) Background note:  The UNA was formed in 2002 by 
Burma's second largest democratic opposition party, the Shan 
Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), and nine other 
political parties representing the country's seven major 
ethnic minority groups as a means to achieve common 
objectives and support a tripartite dialogue.  In 1992 the 
SPDC banned a predecessor coalition, the United Nationalities 
League for Democracy (UNLD) and in subsequent years 
"de-registered" most of the political parties that currently 
belong to the UNA. 
 
6. (C) Comment:  Hkun Htun Oo, Chairman of the SNLD and a 
Member-elect of Parliament, is the leading force behind the 
UNA and its December 10 letter.  The Shan politician is 
closely aligned with the NLD and has been a leading advocate 
among the ethnic groups on behalf of ASSK, insisting that the 
regime engage her before reconvening the National Convention. 
 However, the rest of the UNA is comprised of small parties 
who have little to lose by holding out for inclusion of the 
NLD.  The SPDC is unlikely to bend to the demands of the UNA 
and will instead reserve its negotiating chits to deal with 
the country's active insurgent movements.  Nonetheless, the 
UNA's letter stands in contrast to recent press reports that 
indicate many leading ethnic groups are throwing their weight 
behind the regime and its "road map" process.  End comment. 
McMullen