Home > South-East Asia >> Burma

No signs Gambari will meet Suu Kyi or Than Shwe

Irrawaddy - June 27, 2009

Arkar Moe – The United Nations special envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, met with senior officials in Naypyidaw on Friday, but it remained unclear whether he would meet with junta supremo Snr-Gen Than Shwe or opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"I have received no notification yet from the Burmese authorities regarding a meeting with the UN envoy," said Nyan Win, a spokesperson for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), speaking to The Irrawaddy on Saturday.

The United Nations Information Center in Rangoon also said on Saturday that it could not provide any details about Gambari's trip, which comes as the Burmese regime faces intense criticism over its trial of Suu Kyi on charges that she violated the terms of her house arrest.

A UN spokesperson in New York said that the Nigerian diplomat would return to Rangoon and hold talks with Burmese officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday. He will then return to the UN headquarters in New York and brief UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon before Ban leaves for Japan on Monday.

There is no sign so far that Gambari will meet with Suu Kyi or any other member of her party. However, the NLD said it supports the trip, which it hopes will help to break the deadlock in efforts to begin a dialogue between the junta and the opposition.

"Given Aung San Suu Kyi's trial and the current situation in Burma, the UN trip will be a meaningful one for Burmese politics," said Nyan Win.

Gambari is in Burma to prepare for a possible visit by the UN chief that could come as early as next week. However, the secretary-general is reportedly concerned that the Burmese generals could use his trip to suggest that the UN approves of the junta's handling of the trial against Suu Kyi.

This is Gambari's eighth visit to Burma since becoming the UN chief's special representative to promote political reconciliation in the country in 2006. The envoy has met with both junta leaders and Suu Kyi in the past, but has failed to nudge the military regime toward talks with the democratic opposition.

Observers are hoping that Gambari's current trip to Burma will get at least one concession from the junta before Ban travels to the country to push for the release of political prisoners, including Suu Kyi.

See also:


Home | Site Map | Calendar & Events | News Services | Links & Resources | Contact Us