Burma has far to go An iron law of effective diplomacy is that if you make public demands, your credibility depends on sticking to them. European Union foreign ministers saw fit to ignore that lesson yesterday when they formally lifted all sanctions on Burma except an arms embargo. Last year, the same ministers said this step would only be taken if President Thein Sein's regime met four conditions. He would have to release all political prisoners, allow the delivery of aid throughout Burma, resolve the country's remaining ethnic insurgencies, and improve the "status" and "welfare" of the Muslim minority, known as the Rohingyas. In reality, not one of those demands has been met. The most egregious breach has been the continued persecution of the Rohingya Muslims, who have been the target of what can only be described as barbaric pogroms, often led by Buddhist monks. New footage of a particularly horrifying incident shows police officers standing by as Muslims in the town of Meiktila were beaten and burned to death last month, with their shops and homes looted. It was deeply embarrassing that William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, should have agreed to lift sanctions just as this bloodshed was disclosed. True, Burma's regime has made real reforms, notably by releasing Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. Outside powers always find it difficult to strike the right balance between rewarding an authoritarian regime for genuine progress and retaining enough sticks to ensure that reform continues. The danger is that Mr Hague and his EU colleagues have now cast aside all their sticks, leaving themselves with no option but to rely on the regime's goodwill. If Burma's reforms now come to a halt, history will judge this decision a grave mistake.