Press EPP Group Seminar on 'Towards Peace and Democracy in Burma'

EPP Group Seminar on 'Towards Peace and Democracy in Burma', Maria da Graça Carvalho MEP

President of East Timor and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, José Ramos-Horta will be the keynote speaker of the EPP Group Seminar on "Towards Peace and Democracy in Burma", which will take place at the European Parliament, Room A3E-2, on Tuesday 5 October from 17.30-20.00hrs.

"Towards Peace and Democracy in Burma" is an initiative organised by the EPP Group and led by Maria da Graça Carvalho MEP who, considering that the general elections will take place in Burma on 7 November, has expressed her solidarity with the Burmese people, a people "who have been oppressed by a military regime who has been constantly infringing their human rights with forced labour, people trafficking, child labour and sexual violence". Maria da Graça Carvalho MEP said "I hope that this seminar will facilitate Burma in achieving democratic elections and freeing its political prisoners".

The Portuguese MEP, who met with President Ramos-Horta in East Timor last August to prepare this seminar, has denounced the situation in Burma, describing it as a "dramatic infringement of human rights". She has declared it "fundamental that the political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition party and of the National League for Democracy in Burma and holder of the Sakharov Prize 1990 and Nobel Peace Prize, are immediately freed, therefore promoting free, fair and transparent elections".

President José Ramos-Horta has been a leading international spokesman in support of the struggle for democracy in the Southeast Asia. He has also shown leadership in seeking to bring about a contribution from countries of the Asian region on climate change and has made a significant contribution to tackling poverty.

These and other issues will be debated in the seminar, with the aim to discussing the political and humanitarian situation in Burma. The opening message will be presented by Joseph Daul MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group and the concluding remarks will be given by Paulo Rangel MEP, Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group.

President José Ramos Horta and Maria da Graça Carvalho MEP will give a Press Conference, in the Anna Politkovskaya Room, PHS 0A50, of the European Parliament in Brussels, ahead of the seminar from 16.45-17.15hrs.

Programme

Registration to: EPP-BurmaMeeting@europarl.europa.eu