Needle (PSE). - Thank you, Mr President. First and foremost what I would like to do is to add my congratulations to those of the rest of the House to Mrs Theorin for her excellent report and very sensible amendments to the text. It is also very good to have the opportunity to congratulate the Commission on what is a historically significant action. I think the action on preferences on industrial and agriculturalproducts is very welcome, although the complete ending of trade, particularly by oil companies such as Total and Premier, is sadly not yet likely. But those measures do at least bring the EU into line with the strong US position.

What I would like to do is actually share some views - from experience, rather than just received through the media. If you go to Rangoon covertly as I and others did late last year you unequivocally see the child labour and the forced labour on the roads in Rangoon district, building the hotels and the roads there. You see the high emphasis that the SLORC regime places on international investment there.

Today I and colleagues Kinnock, Thomas and Ford have presented a strong protest to the Club Med travel company here in Strasbourg, demanding that they stop their tours and their activities there and take notice of the others that have pulled out, however attractive the Burmese people and country are. Vital though western action is, SLORC will continue to be underpinned by neighbours such as China, who, it is alleged, have a flourishing, poisonous, underground drugs and jewel trade through the country. This directly funds and nourishes the repressive regime which is murdering indigenous peoples near and across the Thai border as we speak tonight.

In that context the moves to include Burma in ASEAN are deeply depressing but predictable, and I urge the Commission to use all trade negotiations with the ASEAN states to reconsider. I hope that these actions on GSP are effective and do weaken the SLORC, but while they take effect I hope that this House will recognize the dedicated work of all the people striving for democracy in Burma, as well as theBurma Action Group, other networks, and NGOs, keeping open international contacts and channels of hope.

We in this House cannot debate Burma every month, but we must think how we can help the Burmese people every day until they are free, and this report and these proposals are a part of that process.