Junta Invites Gambari to Visit Burma Again

By LALIT K JHA

UNITED NATIONS – Burma’s military junta has invited United Nations Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari to visit the country either in the last week of November or early next month, according to UN sources.

The sources told The Irrawaddy that decision makers at the UN’s headquarters in New York have yet to make a call on whether to accept the invitation, as they want to make sure that Gambari’s next visit doesn’t end as abysmally as the last one in August.

During his August visit, Gambari met neither the country’s military ruler, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, nor the popular leader of the country’s pro-democracy movement, Aung San Suu Kyi, whose refusal to appear for talks with the envoy was seen as a sign that his efforts have lost the confidence of the opposition.

Critics also pointed to the regime’s refusal to make any concessions on the UN’s demands for political reform and the protection of human rights as evidence of Gambari’s faltering performance.

The invitation was extended to Gambari during a recent luncheon meeting with Kyaw Tint Swe, the Burmese regime’s ambassador to the UN. No fixed dates were set for the proposed visit.

Reliable sources said that Gambari’s trip, if it goes ahead, will be used by the UN to prepare for a visit to Burma by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who was initially scheduled to travel to the country in December.

A December visit by the UN chief looks unlikely, however, as the regime has given no indication that it will meet the world body’s demands for democratic change and the release of political prisoners.

Ban lasted visited Burma in May, several weeks after Cyclone Nargis devastated the Irrawaddy delta, to break a deadlock over the regime’s refusal to allow foreign aid workers into the country.

It is believed that Gambari and top UN decision makers are demanding that the junta make a firm commitment to achieving substantive progress before deciding on exact dates for his next visit.

UN officials believe that a repeat of the August debacle would be a major setback to the world body’s efforts in this Southeast Asian nation, which has been ruled by the military for nearly half a century.

Officials said that the Burmese junta and the UN are currently engaged in negotiations over various aspects of Gambari’s visit. Prominent among these are the list of leaders and officials Gambari would have access to during his trip, and assurances from the regime that it is willing to take new steps in the right direction.