“If we aren’t pragmatic about it there will be no solution (in Burma) in the immediate term or long term,” said Horta, who was in Bangkok over the weekend at the invitation of the International Peace Foundation.

Horta, the 1996 Nobel peace laureate, reiterated his controversial stance against economic sanctions on Burma and Cuba, which he had made known at the United Nations and other forums.

“We cannot further punish a collectivity of people because of the perceived sins of their leaders,” said Horta.

He said Sunday that Burma’s long-delayed democratization process would require the participation of the military, which has ruled the country since 1962.

“You look at the transition in Thailand, the transition in the Philippines and Indonesia,” he said. “The military have remained part of society, part of the state and party of the country.”

“If you have a road map which at the end the Burmese military see their interests have been preserved, they might find some incentive,” he added.

That is exactly what Burma’s military-drafted constitution guarantees. The charter was pushed through in May, after a dubious plebiscite called despite Cyclone Nargis, which devastated much of the Irrawaddy Delta and left millions homeless and without aid.

The new charter guarantees a dominant role for the military through an appointed Senate that will have the right to block legislation. An election is scheduled for 2010.

 

“Assuming the military cedes power, no elected civilian leader in Burma can survive without the full support of the military,” said Horta, a well-known independence hero in his own country.