Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer has expressed deep concern about the situation in Burma and the lack of progress on democratic reforms in that nation.
In a statement issued today Downer said he was concerned and disappointed that Burma's military government chose to once again extend the house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since 2003. Her party, the National League for Democracy, won Burma's elections in 1990 by an overwhelming margin, but the military leadership refuses to yield power to a civilian government.
The foreign minister urged the Burmese government to immediately and unconditionally release Aung San Suu Kyi and its other political prisoners.
Downer says Australia will continue to work with the Burmese people, the United Nations and the international community to secure a peaceful future for Burma.
The U.S. government is preparing to introduce a resolution on Burma in the United Nations Security Council in the coming weeks.
