WASHINGTON, March 7--Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi urged hercountrymen in an interview Friday with Radio Free Asia (RFA) to rise abovetheir deepening political divisions and work together for political reform.She also dismissed the ruling junta's surprise invitation to the UnitedStates last month to join a dialogue on Burma's political future, saying theBurmese factions should begin by speaking to one another.
"What I want to say to all the Burmese is that we are weak in unity. Thereare too many jealousies," she told RFA's Burmese service. "We must give upthose attitudes. We must all work for the benefit of the country. It doesnot mean we must not have self-interest. But we must not put self-interestin the forefront."
Aung San Suu Kyi insisted that her National League for Democracy (NLD) wasready and willing to negotiate on Burma's future with the junta that hasruled the country since 1988. She also renewed a call for continuedinternational sanctions and urged aid donors to demand accountability fromthe military government. "Right now the real question is, Does the [ruling]State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) really have the will to havenegotiations with us or not?" she asked.
Burma, once one of Asia's richest countries but now one of its poorest, "isin dire need of development. Therefore, our people both within and outsidethe country must focus on unity and have sincerity and develop a sense ofcamaraderie. I would like to see the people of Burma as people able to dothe right things-as people who have the endurance to keep on doing the rightthings."
"What I have repeatedly said to the people is that they must be resolute.There is a lot of hope for our country, but to realize those hopes we must �struggle," she said. "Sitting and hoping will not achieve anything."The chasm between the NLD and the junta appears to be deepening. Last month,officials lambasted what they described as threats to nationalstability--while Aung San Suu Kyi complained that the country was sufferingsocially and economically because the junta has refused to open a meaningfulexchange with its critics.But in a surprise move following hints that U.S. sanctions against Rangoonmight be expanded, the SPDC in February invited the United States to enter adialogue on the country's political future . The invitation, an abruptabout-face from Burma's longstanding rebuffs to any outside meddling, askedWashington "to join us in open, constructive dialogue toward humanitarian,economic, and political development."Aung San Suu Kyi, a winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace, appeared lukewarmon that invitation, saying, "instead of inviting an external country to giveadvice, it would be better to start negotiations amongst ourselves."Aung San Suu Kyi was freed on May 6, 2002, from 19 months under housearrest. Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won 1990 generalelections by a landslide. But the junta simply ignored the results and keptAung San Suu Kyi under house arrest from 1989-95. It put her under housearrest again in September 2000 after she tried to leave the Burmese capital,Rangoon, on party business.
RFA broadcasts news and information to Asian listeners who lack regularaccess to full and balanced reporting in their domestic media. Through itsbroadcasts and call-in programs, RFA aims to fill a critical gap in thelives of people across Asia. Created by Congress in 1994 and incorporated in1996, RFA currently broadcasts in Burmese, Cantonese, Khmer, Korean, Lao,Mandarin, the Wu dialect, Vietnamese, Tibetan (Uke, Amdo, and Kham), andUyghur. It adheres to the highest standards of journalism and aims toexemplify accuracy, balance, and fairness in its editorial content.