Burma summit calls for reforms

By Subir Bhaumik
BBC correspondent in Delhi

Aung San Suu Kyi has been held for nearly a year

A three-day convention for restoring democracy in Burma has ended in Delhi with a call to the country's military rulers to release Nobel laureate Aung Sang Suu Kyi and an appeal to Burma's neighbours to put more pressure on the junta.

The convention also asked the military rulers to begin "unconditional, open, all-inclusive and broad based dialogue" with the army, democratic political parties like Ms Aung Sang Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) and ethnic minority groups.

The process begun by Burma's military rulers to work out a constitution does not include the NLD and eight other parties that secured more than 90% of the vote in 1990 national elections.

The election verdict was not honoured by the junta which has continued to rule the country.

'Major push'

Talks in Delhi were attended by more than 100 leaders of various Burmese pro-democracy and ethnic minority groups as well as representatives of western NGOs dealing with Burma.

We cannot boast to be the world's largest democracy and do nothing for the cause in Burma George Fernandes convention convenor

Many Indian political leaders and civil rights activists also attended the convention, the second of its kind so far.

"The idea was to give a major push to the pro-democracy movement in Burma and rekindle global interest in the issue," said India's former defence minister, George Fernandes, who was the convenor of the convention.

Mr Fernandes said India had to play the most important role to promote the cause of democracy in Burma.

"The restoration of democracy must become a major political issue in India. We cannot boast to be the world's largest democracy and do nothing for the cause in Burma," Mr Fernandes said.

One of India's leading editors, MJ Akbar, presided over the session that drafted the "action plan" for restoration of democracy in Burma.

The Action Plan calls for:

• Formation of a support group of parliamentarians in India, the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) and Western countries to "lobby and influence" the policy of their governments to be supportive of the pro-democracy movement

• Formation of a joint action group of human rights activists to expose the "misdeeds" of the junta and mould global public opinion in support of the movement for democracy in Burma

• Work towards the de-recognition of the junta by as many foreign governments as possible

• Work for strengthening of sanctions against Burma

• Approach China, Burma's biggest trading partner and supplier of military hardware, to pressure the junta for greater democratisation

• Influence heads of state to sign a joint declaration as well as separately call for release of Ms Aung Sang Suu Kyi and for beginning a broad based dialogue with Burmese political parties and ethnic groups.

Parliamentarians from Korea, Japan and some Asean countries said they would immediately form parliamentary groups to lobby with their governments. Mr Fernandes said the same would happen in India.

Analysts say India does not want to upset Burma army head Than Shwe

Some retired Indian military officials said Delhi might have to continue engaging the junta to further its security interests.

India wants the Burmese army to drive out rebels from its north-eastern states who have bases in Burmese territory.

However, a former Indian intelligence official , Bibhuti Bhusan Nandi, said the junta had not delivered.

"The Burmese army has not driven out any of the north-east Indian rebels. And more drugs and guns are coming into India from Burma than ever before."

Mr Nandi argued that India's security and trade interests would be best served by a democratic government in Rangoon.