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UNGA president urges Burmese junta and opposition to start dialogue |
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by Mizzima News
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Friday, 20 February 2009 15:20 |
New Delhi (Mizzima) – The President of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday urged Burma's military regime and the opposition to immediately embark on a dialogue without setting any pre-conditions.
The call came after the General Assembly's Vice-President Raymond Wolfe was briefed by the Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari on his recent visit to Burma on behalf of the President Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann.
In a statement, the spokesperson of the President said the General Assembly President "joins the Secretary-General in calling on both the Government [of Burma] and the Opposition to resume substantive dialogue without preconditions and without further delay."
Gambari, UN Secretary-General's special envoy to Burma, during his recent visit to Burma, from January 31 to February 3, met Burma's Prime Minister Thein Sein and detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Gambari also met several other junta ministers and officials but could not meet junta supremo Snr. Gen. Than Shwe who continues to remain elusive.
He also met five members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party's central executive committee. A spokesperson of the NLD said Gambari's latest visit had not yielded any fruitful result.
But the NLD welcomed the Secretary General's call for dialogue between the junta head Than Shwe and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and urged the UN not to give up its efforts to promote democracy in Burma.
Gambari, who visited Burma for the seventh time since his appointment in 2006, is also scheduled to brief members of the Security Council on Friday on his latest trip to Burma.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, on Thursday wound up his six-day visit to Burma saying human rights in the country is still 'challenging."
During a brief press conference before leaving the country, Quintana said, he had received a positive response from the Burmese Chief Justice and Attorney General on making changes on domestic laws that limit the fundamental rights of the citizens.
But he failed to receive any concrete commitments from Burmese officials.
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