October 6, 2007
Gambari to Revisit Myanmar,
No Security Council Action Yet
New York
With the UN Security Council divided over actions to support
democracy in a country ruled by a military junta, special envoy
Ibrahim Gambari has said that he plans to return to Southeast Asia
and Myanmar in early November to see "all people and stay as long as
possible."
Gambari Friday said his three-day visit to Myanmar was "tightly
controlled" by the military and he was not allowed to see the people
he wanted to see. As a compromise, he said the government allowed
him some liberty but he had to comply with some of their own
programmes.
Gambari had planned to return to Yangon by mid-November, but he now
said the visit was pushed up so he can visit some Asian capitals and
return to Yangon. The planning for the trip is underway, Gambari
told reporters after briefing the council about his findings and
meeting with the body behind closed doors.
He said he had demanded the military leaders take action on a series
of issues he presented them, including national dialogue with a
deadline to achieve "results reflecting the will of the people."
"We want time-bound, concrete and serious results," Gambari said,
adding that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is also "very
anxious" to see those results.
Gambari met with Suu Kyi twice during the three-day visit,
describing her as "frail, but looking better this time than last
November when I met her" in Yangon. He said "deep mistrust" exists
between Suu Kyi and the military leaders and the UN is trying to
bridge that mistrust.
When asked whether Suu Kyi had called for sanctions against the
military, Gambari told reporters he could not interpret what she had
said.
Gambari told the council that as of Friday, a total of 2,095 people
arrested had been released, including 728 monks, and the government
had promised to free more.
Gambari rejected the military's assertion that the popular
demonstrations were instigated by opposition elements and the
protests were limited to Yangon and Mandalay.
"It is clear that the demonstrations over the past few weeks are for
the most part the expression of deep and widespread discontent about
socio-economic conditions in the country," he said.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon branded the repressions as
"abhorrent and unacceptable," and said the "unknown predicament" of
thousands of people arrested without due process is a matter of
serious concern.
The 15-nation council issued no official statement on the situation
in Myanmar after hearing Ban, Gambari and council members. The US
and Britain called for strong measures like sanctions while China
said the Myanmar people should resolve their own problems.
US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad expressed impatience with the
inaction, saying it was "time for the council to do more than listen
to briefings."
In Washington, the White House urged the council to respond
"seriously" - including with possible sanctions. The US has already
imposed sanctions on the regime's leadership, including a travel ban
and an assets freeze.
"What we are considering is any further steps, whether it be
additional sanctions or other types of actions," White House
spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
Khalilzad said the US is ready to submit a draft resolution to
impose sanctions on Myanmar's military junta, a move supported by
British Ambassador John Sawers.
Sawers and Khalilzad said the situation in Myanmar is a threat to
international peace and security, but that description was rejected
by Chinese's Ambassador Wang Guangya, who also opposed a council
statement suggested by his American counterpart.
Russia and some other council members preferred Gambari's diplomacy,
saying that he should return to Myanmar as soon as possible. Ban
said Gambari would return to that country in mid-November.
Singapore's Ambassador Vanu Gopala Menon told the council that any
solution to the problems in Myanmar must include the military. His
country currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN), which has condemned the repression of demonstrations.
"The military is a key institution in Myanmar that cannot be
automatically wished away," Menon said, speaking as ASEAN chair. "If
the military is not part of the solution, there will be no
solution."
The Myanmar UN Ambassador U Kyaw Tint Swe, who also addressed the
council, argued that Menon was not speaking as head of the ASEAN
group at UN headquarters, but only in his national capacity.
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