Australia rules out economic sanctions on Myanmar

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SYDNEY, Sept 26 (AFP): Australia will not follow the United States and impose economic sanctions on Myanmar because doing so "would have absolutely no impact," Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said.
Downer, who is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, said yesterday that China was the only country with a hope of convincing Myanmar's ruling junta to speed up moves towards political reform.
The minister welcomed US President George W Bush's concern about human rights abuses in the Asian nation but said the situation was different for Australia which had "minuscule" trade with the country.
Bush Tuesday announced a tightening of economic sanctions on the military regime and its financial backers and sought global pressure to end the junta's "reign of fear."
Downer said Australia had had visa restrictions and a ban on defence exports in place against Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, for some time.