Suu Kyi, Gambari Likely to Meet: NLD

By WAI MOE

Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi will probably meet with United Nations Special Envoy to Burma Ibrahim Gambari during his forthcoming visit to Burma, her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), said on Thursday.

NLD spokesperson Win Naing told The Irrawaddy that the NLD expected its leader to meet with Gambari, and it hoped the Nigerian diplomat would discuss meaningful issues and perhaps achieve a tangible breakthrough of some type during his visit.

“UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the UN envoy won’t visit unless there is a sign of progress in Burma,” he said. “And then the UN announced Mr Gambari’s trip—it seems there is something in hand for the envoy. In this situation, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi could meet Mr Gambari.”

The UN said on Monday that Gambari would visit Burma at the end of this month.

“What I can tell you about the reports you have been seeing is that I can confirm that the secretary-general has asked Mr. Gambari to return soon, and that the Myanmar [Burmese] Government has extended an invitation for him to visit the country,” UN spokesperson Marie Okabe said. “At this point, however, discussions are ongoing about the details of the visit.”

The visit will be the seventh trip to Burma for the special envoy since 2006. During his last visit, in August, he failed to meet with the Burmese junta leader, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, and Suu Kyi. He held two meetings with NLD leaders.

According to diplomatic sources, the first meeting between Gambari and the NLD was about 30 minutes. Gambari reportedly urged the NLD to join the 2010 elections. Gambari was criticized by the NLD for stepping out of a purely mediation role.

Win Naing said that during the second meeting, the NLD did not talk with Gambari about the 2010 election issue, but party leaders discussed four issues which were needed for Burma’s national reconciliation process.

The four issues were: release of political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi; holding a meaningful dialogue between the military regime and opposition groups; forming an economic development committee; and opening a liaison office in Burma for the UN secretary-general, Win Naing said.

Win Naing said the NLD was not optimistic about Gambari’s seventh trip.

“After the last six visits to Burma by the special envoy, we did not see any concrete results for political development in the country,” he said. “But we hope there may be a solution to start a genuine dialogue on this trip.”

In regard to Suu Kyi, Win Naing said her lawyer, Kyi Win, was denied permission to visit her by authorities, and a second lawyer, Hla Myo Myint, was recently harassed by authorities.

The NLD won a landslide victory in the 1990 elections, winning more than 80 percent of the constituencies. The military regime failed to honor the election results.