CANBERRA—US President George Bush's condemnation of the upcoming Burma referendum as a fatally flawed process reflects Australia's view, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says.
Mr Smith also noted the US's decision to expand its sanctions against the Burmese military junta, and said Australia would continue its existing sanctions.
"President Bush's statement that the referendum vote will be on a dangerously flawed constitution, and will not be free or credible reflects Australia's consistently expressed view about the referendum," Mr Smith said in a statement.
In February, Burma's military rulers announced a constitutional referendum would be held on May 10, which they said would set the stage for multi-party elections in 2010.
But there is scepticism about how democratic the process will be.
Mr Smith said the proposed constitution was drafted without any genuine involvement of opposition parties, and would only serve to entrench the military's grip on power.
He said Australia would maintain its sanctions against the Burmese regime as the US stepped up its sanctions.
"Australia has its own sanctions regime against Burma, which the Australian Government believes has been an effective tool to put pressure on the regime," he said.
"Australia will continue with these sanctions, as we will continue to urge upon the Burmese regime that it must begin a genuine political process that allows for the full and complete participation by all political players in Burma."
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