Other Presidential Documents and an independent investigation of allegations that villagers in Shan State were killed after complaining to the military about forced labor. The regime has released approximately 250 political prisoners since the initiation of talks with Aung San Suu Kyi, including approximately 70 over the past 6 months. In response to an appeal from U.N. Special Rapporteur Pinheiro, it has also released, on humanitarian grounds, 318 women pris- oners who either had small children or were pregnant. Even with these re- leases, more than %000 political prisoners still remained in prison or under detention in Burma as of March 2002, including over 600 NLD members. International monitoring of human rights in Burma also improved to some degree in 200% For the first time in 6 years, the Government of Burma per- mitted visits (in April and October 200% and then again in February 2002) by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma. It also allowed the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit all pris- ons in Burma and reportedly has responded to some ICRC recommenda- tions about prison conditions. Development of a Multilateral Strategy United States policy goals in Burma include progress towards democracy, improved human rights, a more effective counternarcotics effort, counterterrorist cooperation, resolving MIA cases from WW II, and address- ing the HIV/AIDS epidemic which threatens regional stability and pros- perity. We hope that the on-going talks between Aung San Suu Kyi and the military will lead to meaningful democratic change and national reconcili- ation. We consult regularly, at senior levels, with countries interested in Burma that share our goals. The United States has co-sponsored annual resolutions at the U.N. General Assembly and the U.N. Commission on Human Rights concerning Burma. We have also supported ILO's unprecedented decision on Burma given Burma's failure to deal effectively with its pervasive forced labor problems. Most importantly, we strongly support the mission of the U.N. Secretary General's Special Envoy for Burma, Razali bin Ismall, who has helped fa- cilitate the regime's talks with Aung San Suu Kyi. We are increasingly con- cerned that the Burmese regime is not permitting Mr. Razali to visit Burma with the regularity or frequency needed at this stage of the process. In coordination with the European Union and other states, the United States has imposed sanctions on Burma aimed at encouraging democratic transition and greater respect for human rights. These sanctions include an arms embargo, a ban on all new U.S. investment in Burma, the suspension of all bilateral aid, the withdrawal of GSP privileges, the denial of OPIC and EXIMBANK programs, visa restrictions on Burma's senior leaders and opposition to all new lending or grant programs by the World Bank, the IMF, the ADB and other international financial institutions in which the United States has a major interest. We downgraded the level of our diplo- matic representation from Ambassador to Charg\177 d'Affaires in \177989 and have maintained at that level. 337
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