Burma National Emergency Designation Extended
The White House issued notice that the national emergency with respect to Burma (Myanmar), originally established in 1997, will be extended for one year. "The Government of Burma has made significant progress in a number of critical areas, including releasing hundreds of political prisoners, achieving cease-fire talks with the 11 armed ethnic groups, taking significant steps toward eliminating press censorship, and enabling the participation of opposition parties in the country's political system," President Obama said in a letter announcing the continuation (here).
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Despite these advances, the country continues "to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. The political opening is nascent, and concerns persist regarding remaining political prisoners, ongoing conflict and human rights abuses in ethnic minority areas, and the country's continued military relationship with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," the letter said.
The national emergency was declared under the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
(Federal Register 5/6/13)