Posted on 07/05/2005 7:23:38 AM PDT by LwinAungSoe
PARIS, (AFX) - The French government has described accusations by human rights groups that it was protecting the French oil company Total's activities in Myanmar as 'unfair and baseless' and insisted it was observing EU sanctions on the military junta ruling the Asian country.
A spokeswoman for the foreign ministry told journalists that Paris is 'especially preoccupied by the situation in Myanmar.'
The spokeswoman noted that the European Union decided in April to renew for a year sanctions against the Myanmar regime and said that 'France is strictly and forcefully applying these sanctions.'
The comments were in reaction to a statement from an association of human rights groups which alleged that the EU sanctions were ineffective and that France was partly responsible.
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the League of Human Rights, France Libertes and Info Burma singled out Total as profiting from Myanmar's oil sector and contributing to the junta's coffers, and called for the French company to withdraw from the country.
A spokesman for Total said yesterday that the sanctions against Myanmar 'penalised' local populations and expressed the opinion that the French government's approach to the junta was in line with French diplomatic tradition.
There's something I wasn't aware of
Paul Desmaris(ap?). Total had a big piece of Saddam Hussein's oil fields, pre-GW2.
Did I mention his son is married to the daughter of the former Canadian PM, Jean Chretien?
"I never worry about action, but only inaction."
Sir Winston Churchill
There's something I wasn't aware of.
Me neither. I thought Total was a cereal.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.