A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United Nations Security Council should immediately consider and take appropriate actions to respond to the growing threats posed by conditions in Burma under the illegitimate rule of the State Peace and Development Council.

Mr. President, today I submit, along with some fellow members of the unofficial, bipartisan Senate Burma Caucus, a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United Nations Security Council should immediately consider and take appropriate actions to respond to the growing threats posed by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in Burma to its immediate neighbors and the entire region.

What are these threats? The unchecked spread of HIV/AIDS that is further aggravated by the SPDC's use of rape as a weapon of war against the people of Burma, particularly ethnic women and girls; the illicit production and trafficking in narcotics, which destroys the lives of Asian youth and families; trafficking in persons and brutal crackdowns on ethnic minorities that create significant populations of internally displaced persons and refugees; alleged efforts to purchase weapons from North Korea, the People's Republic of China and Russia.

For the past decade, we have know that the SPDC poses a clear and present danger to the people of Burma, including democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and other senior members of the National League for Democracy (NLD). Resolutions, statements and reports by the U.S. State Department, the United Nations, the European Nation (E.U.), and human rights organizations have repeatedly documented and condemned brutal human rights violations committed with impunity by the SPDC.

Today, there is no question that Burma's myriad problems are no longer the internal affair of a handful of psychopathic generals in Rangoon.

Last May, the NLD called upon the U.N. Security Council to intervene.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the United Kingdom, and the Administration, who are scheduled to take over chairmanship of the Council in October and November, respectively should heed their call.

In Burma, time now favors the democrats. With the international community's continued vigilance, appropriate pressure can be placed on the SPDC before they assume chairmanship of the ASEAN in 2006 to secure a meaningful path toward reconciliation that includes the full and unfettered participation of the NLD. If the Security Council takes up the matter of Burma, significant strides will be made toward democracy and justice in that country.

It is an understatement to say that I am disappointed with the E.U.'s decision to allow ``low level'' participation by the SPDC in the upcoming ASEM meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam. Such action serves only to prolong the suffering of the Burmese people, including the hundreds currently languishing in prisons for peacefully championing the principles of freedom and justice, and the three NLD youths recently arrested for the ``heinous'' crime of gathering signatures on a petition calling for Suu Kyi's release from house arrest.

With France, Spain and Portugal reportedly clamoring to derail the toughening of sanctions against Burma, it is only fair to ask: When will they act to support the democrats of Burma?

It is time the world's democracies make 2006 the ``Year of Democracy'' in Burma.

I want to recognize Senators Feinstein, McCain, Mikulski, Feingold, Leahy, and Dole for their support of the resolution, and freedom and justice in Burma.

I ask unanimous consent that an article by William Ashton that appeared in the Irrawaddy on the SPDC's efforts to procure weapons be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for a resolution submitted yesterday by Senator McConnell and myself that urges the United Nations Security Council to respond to the growing threats posed to the Southeast Asia region by conditions in Burma under the rule of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).

I have been proud to work with Senator McConnell to raise awareness about the situation in Burma and to put pressure on the SPDC to respect the wishes of the Burmese people, restore democracy, and release from house arrest the leader of the National League for Democracy and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi. Congress has acted decisively in support of these efforts by passing the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 to impose a complete ban on Burmese imports for one year and renewing that ban this past July.

There is still much work to be done. The threat posed by the military junta goes beyond Burma's borders and extends to the entire Southeast Asia region. The SPDC has committed numerous human rights abuses and detained over 1,300 political prisoners. It has allowed the spread of HIV/AIDS to go unchecked. It has engaged in the illicit production and trafficking of narcotics. It has engaged in the trafficking of human beings. It has attempted to purchase weapons from North Korea, China, and Russia.

The international community simply cannot afford to ignore these threats any longer. Inaction will only strengthen the regime in Rangoon and foster greater instability in the Southeast Asia region. This resolution simply encourages the United Nations Security Council to consider the situation in Burma carefully and take appropriate action.

While I am proud that the United States has acted in support of freedom and democracy in Burma, we need the help of our friends and allies to put pressure on the SPDC to change its behavior and respect the wishes of the Burmese people and the international community. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

I ask unanimous consent the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 431 and the Senate

proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, and any statements be printed in the Record.