WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday to call on the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency, formal meeting on Burma. In a letter to Secretary Rice, Senators McConnell and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) called on the U.S. to send a letter to the UN Security Council to urge Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to brief the Council on the situation in Burma.

In the letter, the senators wrote, “The current situation in Burma merits a strong and meaningful response by our government.

“Over the past several days, as was reported in the press around the world, Burma’s military regime has carried out a widespread crackdown on human rights and democracy activists throughout the country. These repressive measures have come in response to the largest non-violent demonstrations in Burma in five years.

“Many of the activists who have been imprisoned as a result of this crackdown were reportedly beaten and carted off in trucks after protesting on the streets of Rangoon and Burma’s other major cities. Those arrested include Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi, two of Burma’s most prominent democracy activists. Many of these activists reportedly face life sentences for exercising the fundamental right of political expression. These actions by the regime are appalling even in light of the junta’s longstanding and well-documented record of repression.

“We applaud the State Department for swiftly condemning the regime’s brutal behavior. France and the United Kingdom, two other permanent members of the Security Council, have issued similar condemnations, along with Canada, Sweden, Ireland, Denmark, the European Union, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. However, at this critical juncture, words of support from the world’s democracies are not enough. The matter needs to be addressed by the UN Security Council.

“During the past year, the United States led a successful diplomatic effort to place Burma on the permanent agenda of the Security Council, where it remains. We must avail ourselves of this diplomatic forum; the brave people of Burma deserve no less.”

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