Webb to Chair Hearing on U.S. Policy Toward Burma

Webb to Chair Hearing on U.S. Policy Toward Burma

Washington, DC- Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) today announced his intention to hold a hearing on the impact and effectiveness of United States policy toward Burma. Webb serves as chairman of the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

The announcement today follows the Senator’s two-week trip to five countries that comprise much of the Southeast Asia mainland. Webb, who also visited Thailand and Vietnam, was the first U.S. Senator in six years to visit Laos, the first member of Congress to visit Cambodia in two years and the first Member of Congress to visit Burma in ten years. He also was the first American official ever to meet with Burmese national leader Senior General Than Shwe, he held a separate meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and during his visit he secured the release of convicted American prisoner Jon Yettaw.

Senator Webb intends a comprehensive hearing to examine Burma’s current economic and political situation and to seek testimony regarding that country’s long history of internal turmoil and ethnic conflicts. The hearing will evaluate the effectiveness of U.S. policy toward Burma, with a focus on U.S.-imposed economic sanctions that have not been matched by other countries, will discuss what role the United States can and should play in promoting democratic reform in Burma, and hear testimony on how to frame a new direction for U.S.-Burma relations.

Senator Webb has called upon the United States and other nations to carefully review the sanctions policies against Myanmar. During his recent visit, he also recommended to key leaders in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam that the ASEAN nations join together in calling for the Myanmar leadership to free Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest and to allow her to fully participate in that country’s elections, now scheduled for 2010.

As chairman of the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, Webb oversees U.S. relations with countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Rim, and Oceana. The subcommittee also oversees regional organizations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

For more information on Senator Webb’s recent trip to the region, please visit: http://webb.senate.gov/pdf/Highlights_Asia_9-9-09.pdf