U.S. Department of State
Daily Press Briefing
Richard Boucher, Spokesman
Washington, DC

December 10, 2003

Excerpt:
INDEX:

BURMA
17 Burmese Roadmap

QUESTION: A fast one on Burma. There was a report that the Administration
expressed interest in joining the talks next week on the Burma roadmap. Is that
true?

MR. BOUCHER: No, we haven't requested to participate. We were informed by
Thailand about their plans for the meeting. It's a meeting that they have
organized to discussed national reconciliation in Burma, but it's under the
auspices of the Royal Thai Government. They'd have to explain what the meeting
is about, but we did not ask to participate.

QUESTION: And has the United States -- has the Administration expressed any
interest at all in participating in this process with them?

MR. BOUCHER: No.

QUESTION: Okay.

MR. BOUCHER: We have, I think, frequently pointed out the obvious deficiency of
this sort of roadmap proposed by the Burmese authorities in that it doesn't
involve the participations of members of the democratic movement; and that
participation is essential by democratic forces in order to have a plan that
can restore Burma to democracy, so that's been our position on the idea all
along, but we've not asked to participate.

We've been interested, though, in keeping in touch with the Thai Government,
hearing what they had to say, letting us know what they thought might be
accomplished and letting us know that they, too, were interested in encouraging
and urging the participation of democratic forces in Burma. We discussed it
fairly extensively when we were out in Thailand for the APEC and the State
visit.

Yeah, George.