The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar adopted on 14 April 2005 at the 61st session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, and to the resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar adopted by the UN General Assembly on 23 December 2004,

–  having regard to the UN Security Council's decision of 15 September 2006 to place Burma on its formal agenda, the visit to Burma of UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari from 9-12 November 2006 and his subsequent briefing of the Security Council,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Burma, in particular that of 17 November 2005,

–  having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 817/2006 of 29 May 2006 renewing restrictive measures against Burma,

–  having regard to the Chairman's Statement of the Sixth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) held in Finland on 10-11 September 2006,

–  having regard to Rule 115(5) of the Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas the so-called State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) continues to subject the people of Burma to appalling human rights abuses, such as forced labour, persecution of dissidents, conscription of child soldiers and forced relocation,

C.  whereas the National Convention set up by the junta to draft a constitution lacks any credibility due to the absence of many political parties and ethnic groups, most notably the National League for Democracy (NLD),

D.  whereas the NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has spent 10 out of the last 16 years under house arrest, an unjustified punishment that the military junta extends perniciously every year refusing to set a date for her release,

E.  whereas the number of political prisoners tortured and dying every year in custody is on the increase,

F.  whereas the disastrous policies of the regime result in appalling healthcare and education standards, with more than thirty per cent of children under five suffering from malnutrition, very high mortality rates for malaria and tuberculosis and very low schooling rates;

1.  Strongly condemns the SPDC for its relentless suppression of the Burmese people and its total failure to make any significant move towards democracy;

2.  Refuses to recognise the validity of any constitutional proposals produced by the National Convention in its current setup as a fraudulent attempt by the military to consolidate power and gain legitimacy;

3.  Reiterates its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners - estimated to number over 1,100 - held by the SDPC;

4.  Deplores the SPDC's recent closure of five field offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross, effectively making it impossible for the organisation to carry out its humanitarian work, and other actions of intimidation against humanitarian NGOs; calls on the SPDC to allow these organisations to operate freely and provide assistance to the people in need;

5.  Strongly condemns the regime's brutal crackdown against several large ethnic groups, including the Karen of eastern Burma, which has led to large scale suffering, internal displacement and massive emigration; reports estimate that in 2006 alone, 82,000 people were forced to leave their homes in eastern Burma, bringing the number of internally displaced people within Burma to at least 500,000;

6.  Believes that after the fact-finding mission to Burma by the Malaysian Foreign Minister, Syed Hamid Albar the ASEAN nations will now take tougher measures against the military junta in Burma;

7.  Welcomes the International Labour Organization's decision to take its concerns about the SPDC's abhorrent use of forced labour before the UN Security Council and the International Court of Justice, and hopes that this tougher course of action will prompt the SPDC into ending this practice;

8.  Recognises that the EU's targeted sanctions have so far failed to achieve the desired impact on those directly responsible for the suffering of the Burmese people; calls on the Council to ensure that all Member States rigorously apply existing restrictive measures;

9.  Further calls on the Council to expand the scope of the sanctions and to extend the list of those targeted to include all SPDC ministers, deputies, members, supporters and workers, in addition to their family members, businessmen and other prominent individuals associated with the regime;

10.  Calls on the UN Security Council to pass a binding resolution requiring the restoration of democracy to Burma and the release of all political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi;

11.  Deplores the fact that China, India and other countries continue to supply weapons and urges them to cease their support for the military junta that uses them as tools of repression against civilian populations;

13.  Insists that all aid destined for Burma must be delivered through genuine non-governmental organisations and must reach the people for whom it is intended, with the least possible involvement of the SPDC, and asks the Commission to give its assurances that none of the aid benefited the regime there;

14.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the governments of the ASEAN nations, the National League for Democracy, the State Peace and Development Council and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.