No Political Progress in Burma: UN

By WAI MOE

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed frustration over Burma’s political deadlock, calling for a genuine political process in the country after his special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, briefed the UN Security Council on his recent mission to the Southeast Asian nation on Thursday.

Ban Ki-moon told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York that Burma hasn’t experienced as much political progress as he anticipated. He added that the country’s military regime should take real measures towards setting up a more inclusive political process that promotes human rights.

“I share the frustration many feel with the situation in Myanmar [Burma]. We have not seen the political progress I had hoped for,” he said.

“We want to see the parties, in particular the Government of Myanmar [Burma], take tangible steps toward establishing a credible and inclusive political process in the country, which of course must include progress on human rights.”

But he added that he would like not to characterize Gambari’s Burma visit in August as a failure.
“If you talk about failure, then if we stop making progress through all possible diplomatic means, that should be viewed as a failure. I continue to make progress in this, as mandated by the General Assembly,” he said.

He also said he was planning to convene an ambassador-level meeting of the “Group of Friends on Myanmar” on Friday. “I’ll try to continue to do whatever I can, in close coordination with Member States, particularly those countries which may have some influence on Myanmar,” he noted.

Analysts said that Ban’s comments yesterday indicated that the UN secretary-general is under pressure because of the ineffectiveness of diplomatic efforts to break Burma’s political deadlock.

“Ban Ki-moon’s recent comment reflected criticism of the UN’s efforts, particularly Gambari’s work. Gambari is facing criticism because his work for Burma has yet to achieve success,” said Aung Naing Oo, a Burmese political commentator based in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

“In Burmese issues, everyone takes a simple approach, calling on the regime to free Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and political prisoners,” he added. “No one has come up with a strategic policy. To get a breakthrough, we need a coherent and comprehensive policy.”

Gambari said yesterday at the UN that it was time for Burma’s military regime to release political prisoners and resume dialogue with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

“The tangible results of my last visit fell below expectations,” he said. “It is imperative for the government of Myanmar at this point to deliver substantive results … particularly with regard to the release of political prisoners and the resumption of dialogue between the government and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.”

Thein Oo of the Democratically Elected Representatives of the People of Burma said Suu Kyi’s refusal to meet with Gambari had a significant impact on the UN. That, he said, explained why Ban and Gambari showed their frustration on Thursday.

Meanwhile, there is continuing controversy surrounding the UN’s position on the regime’s seven-step “road map” to a “disciplined democracy”—a process seen as an attempt to avoid a meaningful dialogue with the country’s legitimately elected leaders.

At a press conference on Thursday, Gambari was asked about the UN’s offer of technical assistance for an election scheduled to take place in 2010. The election will be held under a constitution that was passed in a referendum in May that many critics have dismissed as a sham.

In response to suggestions that the UN appeared to be endorsing the road map by offering technical assistance, Gambari said that Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, “took part in the referendum.”

Asked why Suu Kyi didn’t meet with him, Gambari replied, “I don’t know.”

But the United States ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, said, “We do not know directly from her. Her party has said some things, which is that her dissatisfaction that this process—including the good offices and including the visits of Mr. Gambari—have not produced concrete results.”
He also said that the United States and several other countries are of the view that there hasn’t been any concrete progress with regard to the two main objectives that the UN Security Council has repeatedly stressed—namely, a time-bound political negotiation leading to democratization and the release of all political prisoners, including Suu Kyi.