Harper invites Burmese pro-democracy leader to Canada

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper has invited Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to Canada to personally accept honourary Canadian citizenship and is calling on the military regime in Burma to engage in "meaningful, inclusive dialogue" with her and other democratic and ethnic leaders.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, was freed in November from almost 15 years of house arrest in the military-controlled country, also known as Myanmar.

"We recognize that Aung San Suu Kyi's immediate priority since her release from house arrest is to focus her energies on consultations and dialogue within Burma, before embarking on international travel," Harper said Monday in a statement. "We hope, however, that she will be able at the appropriate time to accept our invitation."

Suu Kyi was awarded honourary Canadian citizenship by parliament in 2007 as part of an international campaign to press Burma's regime to free her.

"Canada's policy toward Burma reflects the serious problems that the military regime has created for its people," Harper said. "Canada once again calls on the Burmese regime to engage in a meaningful, inclusive dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratic and ethnic leaders to ensure a better future for all Burmese people, in which their fundamental rights are respected and their long-held desire for the restoration of democracy is realized."

Background notes distributed by a Canadian government official said Burma's regime demonstrated a complete disregard for the rule of law by detaining Suu Kyi and said her trial and appeal process lacked international standards of due process.

It said the government is deeply concerned by the disregard shown for the human rights of the Burmese people and continues to call upon the Burmese regime to free the more than 2,100 remaining political prisoners in the country.

Canada supports a proposal for a United Nations Commission of Inquiry into human rights abuses by the Burmese regime.

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