The military government has demanded that Red Cross close it's field offices in Burma by next year. This is nothing new, over the years many humanitarian organizations have been forced to leave.
The ICRC has been working in Burma since 1986. It provides food, water and sanitation to civilians who live in difficult conditions in border areas. It also provides some medical assistance.The Red Cross says it has had to drastically scale down activities in recent months because of its increasing inability to do effective work.
Haddad says Burmese authorities have also told the Red Cross that it would not be allowed to resume visits to detainees.
She says those visits were halted in December 2005 because authorities insisted they be conducted with a government field escort present. She says this goes against standard Red Cross procedures that visits with detainees are held in private.
This comes as the U.S. finally follows up on it's promise to address Burma at the UNSC after the visit by Gambari.
"Based on the lack of performance by the government of Burma on any of the key issues," the United States will begin drafting a resolution that would set out key actions Burma's rulers must take to reduce the threat to peace and security in the region, Bolton told journalists after a private Security Council meeting with U.N. Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari.
But are more economic sanctions the answer?
"Given the pervasive lack of economic development in Burma and the neighboring countries, this is a problem that imposes considerable burdens on the bordering countries," he said.
On monday Ibrahim Gambari, warned the Security Council that
Burma is facing "accelerating impoverishment," with 30 percent of the population living well below the poverty line and malnutrition striking more than 30 percent of children under the age of 5.
The question here is, now that the U.S. has the UN's attention, will we be prepared to take aggressive steps for change in Burma that do not require the junta's cooperation.
It is not as though there is a lack of creative thinking at the UN, but implementing thoughtful effective policies can take a really long time. Also, Amb. John Bolton has spearheaded the push for change in Burma at the UN. It is reported that once the Dem.'s take power in January Bolton will no longer have a job. Will the new UN Ambassador be quickly prepared to pick up the steam or will he/she come in with another agenda?
