WASHINGTON — First lady Laura Bush condemned the military government in Myanmar on Monday for its “inept” response to a deadly weekend cyclone, marking an unusual foray by the president’s spouse into a high-profile foreign-policy crisis.
At a White House news conference, Laura Bush said the military junta in Myanmar is preventing the United States and other nations from providing help — and also implied that the country’s rulers purposely declined to warn people of the impending danger.
“Although they were aware of the threat . . . state-run media failed to issue a timely warning to citizens in the storm’s path,” she said.
Laura Bush also called the Myanmar regime “very inept” and urged it to cancel plans for a referendum this week, which she said would “give false legitimacy to their continued rule.”
The remarks underscore the first lady’s uncommon emergence as the administration’s most visible spokesperson on Myanmar. The news conference marked the first time she has presided at the White House briefing room, which is generally used for official pronouncements by the president or his senior aides.
Laura Bush told reporters that her deep interest in Myanmar was sparked by reading the works of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. She said the president would sign legislation today awarding Suu Kyi the Congressional Gold Medal.
