Washington, Oct 6, SPA — President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown agreed on Friday to keep international pressure on Myanmar’s military rulers, and the White House condemned the crackdown there as “barbaric.”
Bush and Brown spoke by video link about “the need for countries around the world to continue to make their views clear to the junta that they need to refrain from violence and move to a peaceful transition to democracy,” said Scott Stanzel, a White House spokesman. “The crackdown on peaceful protesters there is quite barbaric.”
Asked whether Bush and Brown discussed the possibility of encouraging Myanmar’s people to overthrow their government, Stanzel responded that the question was “hypothetical,” and said “we certainly support the people who are marching for democracy and peace.”
Brown said Myanmar’s government had responded with “oppression and force” to the international calls for restraint. “The international community must intensify its efforts,” he said in a statement issued before his talks with Bush.