France and Thailand agree that the world community must provide positive incentives to push Burma's junta to democratize, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Tuesday.
World criticism of Burma's military regime heightened after it violently quashed pro-democracy demonstrations last month, with the US and Australia increasing economic sanctions against the junta as a result.
The European Union has also proposed increasing sanctions. "We worked on sanctions ... Was it enough? Certainly not," Kouchner said during a joint press conference with his Thai counterpart, Nitya Pibulsonggram.
Expressing some skepticism over the effectiveness of sanctions, Kouchner said such measures have to be coupled with positive incentives.
"The people are miserable. The people are living in poverty," he said.
As an incentive for the regime to work for national reconciliation in Burma, an international trust fund could be set up for development projects, Kouchner said on Monday in Singapore.
Kouchner cited as an example the World Bank trust fund that was set up in 2000 for war-devastated Kosovo, where he worked as chief UN administrator to coordinate reconstruction and peace efforts.
He did not give a target sum or a timeline for a Burma fund.
Kouchner is visiting the region to discuss Burma with some of its closest neighbors and trading partners. He will also be traveling to China, the junta's most important ally.
Nitya said Thailand "sees completely eye to eye" with France on the issue of incentives and would fully support a fund as well as policies on Burma that focuses on social and economic development.
Nitya said sanctions by Thailand—Burma's second most important trading partner—would be not be easy, adding that there is no consensus among nations about whether sanctions work effectively.
"Where does it hurt? Does it hurt the few or does it hurt the people?" Nitya said.
World criticism of Burma's military regime heightened after it violently quashed pro-democracy demonstrations last month, with the US and Australia increasing economic sanctions against the junta as a result.
The European Union has also proposed increasing sanctions. "We worked on sanctions ... Was it enough? Certainly not," Kouchner said during a joint press conference with his Thai counterpart, Nitya Pibulsonggram.
Expressing some skepticism over the effectiveness of sanctions, Kouchner said such measures have to be coupled with positive incentives.
"The people are miserable. The people are living in poverty," he said.
As an incentive for the regime to work for national reconciliation in Burma, an international trust fund could be set up for development projects, Kouchner said on Monday in Singapore.
Kouchner cited as an example the World Bank trust fund that was set up in 2000 for war-devastated Kosovo, where he worked as chief UN administrator to coordinate reconstruction and peace efforts.
He did not give a target sum or a timeline for a Burma fund.
Kouchner is visiting the region to discuss Burma with some of its closest neighbors and trading partners. He will also be traveling to China, the junta's most important ally.
Nitya said Thailand "sees completely eye to eye" with France on the issue of incentives and would fully support a fund as well as policies on Burma that focuses on social and economic development.
Nitya said sanctions by Thailand—Burma's second most important trading partner—would be not be easy, adding that there is no consensus among nations about whether sanctions work effectively.
"Where does it hurt? Does it hurt the few or does it hurt the people?" Nitya said.
