Brussels, 08/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - The EU regrets the fact that the elections held in Burma/Myanmar on Sunday 7 November (the first since 1990) were neither free nor fair and were not proceeded by an inclusive electoral process. “Many aspects of these elections are not compatible with internationally accepted standards”, stressed Catherine Ashton in a statement published on behalf of the EU27 on 7 November. Starting with the many actions carried out against most of the opposition parties and their candidates, the restrictions placed on candidate registration and restrictions on freedom of expression, of assembly and press freedoms. Against this backdrop, the EU repeats its calls for the “unconditional release” of all political prisoners and for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest “on entirely spurious grounds”, to have her unrestricted freedom restored. The EU also calls on the Burmese authorities to ensure that the elections of 7 November, imperfect though they were, to “mark the start of a more inclusive phase” leading to the liberation of all political prisoners and allowing representatives of all groups of Burmese society to participate in the political life of their country. The EU will observe closely how accountable the new parliament and government will be towards the electorate, whether the new institutions respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and whether they will deliver better policies to improve the economic and social situation of the citizens, Ashton's press release reads. (H.B./transl.fl)