4 July 2009 – Myanmar's future must be rooted in respect for human rights, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, voicing his deep disappointment that the South-East Asian nation's Government refused his request to meet with Nobel laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar was one of the first United Nations Member States to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but “unfortunately, that commitment has not been matched in deed,” Mr. Ban said in Yangon, at the end of his two-day visit to the country. “Myanmar's human rights record remains a matter of grave concern.”
He called on authorities to release all political prisoners – including Ms. Suu Kyi – without delay.
The Secretary-General said that Senior General Than Shwe's refusal to allow him to meet with Ms. Suu Kyi, whose trial is pending, shows that the Government “has lost a unique opportunity to show its commitment to a new era of political openness.”
He added that “allowing a visit to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would have been an important symbol of the Government's willingness to embark on the kind of meaningful engagement that will be essential if the elections in 2010 are to be seen as credible.”
Myanmar's authorities have laid out stability, national reconciliation and democracy as their goals, and next year's polls, the first in two decades, must be “inclusive, participatory and transparent,” Mr. Ban stressed in his address today to diplomats, UN agencies, and international and non-governmental organizations.
“Sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity are legitimate concerns for any government,” he said.
“Opening and broadening the political space is the best way to ensure that each group and each individual becomes part of the greater collective project,” added Mr. Ban, who met with leaders of Myanmar's registered political parties, including Ms. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), and with former armed groups observing a ceasefire during his time in the country.
The Secretary-General's last visit to Myanmar was in the wake of last May's devastating Cyclone Nargis, which killed almost 130,000 people. During this visit, he visited the Kyon Da Village in the Irrawaddy delta to see the results of recovery and reconstruction work first-hand.
In his speech today, he lauded the “unprecedented” cooperation between Myanmar, the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through the Tripartite Core Group which he said showed that humanitarian imperatives and the principle of sovereignty do not conflict.
“Humanitarian assistance – in Myanmar as elsewhere – should never be held hostage to political considerations,” he emphasized. “We can and must work together to ensure access to humanitarian and development assistance to all those in Myanmar who need it.”
Mr. Ban, who met with Senior General Than Shwe yesterday and today, as well as Prime Minister Thein Sein, also urged Myanmar to lift millions of its citizens out of poverty by unleashing its economic potential.
“The people of Myanmar need jobs, they need food security and they need access to healthcare,” he said, calling on the country to “take advantage of the opportunities that the international community is prepared to offer.”
Myanmar, the Secretary-General said, can only benefit from engagement and has stated many times that cooperation with the UN is the cornerstone of its foreign policy.
“We ask it to match deeds with words,” he said. “The more Myanmar works in partnership with the United Nations to respond to its people's needs and aspirations, the more it affirms its sovereignty.”
Speaking to reporters in Bangkok, Thailand, after leaving Yangon, Mr. Ban stressed that the authorities' refusal to allow him to visit Aung San Suu Kyi “should not be seen as the only benchmark for success or failure of my visit.”
During his time in the country, he was able to “very frankly and directly” convey the international community's concerns, as well as its readiness to help Myanmar's people achieve their “legitimate aspirations,” to Senior General Than Shwe and his Government, he said.
While in the Thai capital, the Secretary-General said he met with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, and also told reporters that his Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari, will shortly convene the so-called Group of Friends on Myanmar, a gathering of countries supporting greater dialogue in the Asian country.
From Thailand, Mr. Ban is scheduled to travel to Switzerland, Ireland and Italy.
Myanmar was one of the first United Nations Member States to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but “unfortunately, that commitment has not been matched in deed,” Mr. Ban said in Yangon, at the end of his two-day visit to the country. “Myanmar's human rights record remains a matter of grave concern.”
He called on authorities to release all political prisoners – including Ms. Suu Kyi – without delay.
The Secretary-General said that Senior General Than Shwe's refusal to allow him to meet with Ms. Suu Kyi, whose trial is pending, shows that the Government “has lost a unique opportunity to show its commitment to a new era of political openness.”
He added that “allowing a visit to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would have been an important symbol of the Government's willingness to embark on the kind of meaningful engagement that will be essential if the elections in 2010 are to be seen as credible.”
Myanmar's authorities have laid out stability, national reconciliation and democracy as their goals, and next year's polls, the first in two decades, must be “inclusive, participatory and transparent,” Mr. Ban stressed in his address today to diplomats, UN agencies, and international and non-governmental organizations.
“Sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity are legitimate concerns for any government,” he said.
“Opening and broadening the political space is the best way to ensure that each group and each individual becomes part of the greater collective project,” added Mr. Ban, who met with leaders of Myanmar's registered political parties, including Ms. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), and with former armed groups observing a ceasefire during his time in the country.
The Secretary-General's last visit to Myanmar was in the wake of last May's devastating Cyclone Nargis, which killed almost 130,000 people. During this visit, he visited the Kyon Da Village in the Irrawaddy delta to see the results of recovery and reconstruction work first-hand.
In his speech today, he lauded the “unprecedented” cooperation between Myanmar, the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through the Tripartite Core Group which he said showed that humanitarian imperatives and the principle of sovereignty do not conflict.
“Humanitarian assistance – in Myanmar as elsewhere – should never be held hostage to political considerations,” he emphasized. “We can and must work together to ensure access to humanitarian and development assistance to all those in Myanmar who need it.”
Mr. Ban, who met with Senior General Than Shwe yesterday and today, as well as Prime Minister Thein Sein, also urged Myanmar to lift millions of its citizens out of poverty by unleashing its economic potential.
“The people of Myanmar need jobs, they need food security and they need access to healthcare,” he said, calling on the country to “take advantage of the opportunities that the international community is prepared to offer.”
Myanmar, the Secretary-General said, can only benefit from engagement and has stated many times that cooperation with the UN is the cornerstone of its foreign policy.
“We ask it to match deeds with words,” he said. “The more Myanmar works in partnership with the United Nations to respond to its people's needs and aspirations, the more it affirms its sovereignty.”
Speaking to reporters in Bangkok, Thailand, after leaving Yangon, Mr. Ban stressed that the authorities' refusal to allow him to visit Aung San Suu Kyi “should not be seen as the only benchmark for success or failure of my visit.”
During his time in the country, he was able to “very frankly and directly” convey the international community's concerns, as well as its readiness to help Myanmar's people achieve their “legitimate aspirations,” to Senior General Than Shwe and his Government, he said.
While in the Thai capital, the Secretary-General said he met with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, and also told reporters that his Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari, will shortly convene the so-called Group of Friends on Myanmar, a gathering of countries supporting greater dialogue in the Asian country.
From Thailand, Mr. Ban is scheduled to travel to Switzerland, Ireland and Italy.
Myanmar should release all political prisoners, Ban says ahead of visit
30 June 2009 – Myanmar should release all political prisoners, including the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today ahead of a planned visit to the Asian country for talks with the leadership on key issues.
Mr. Ban, who is scheduled to visit Myanmar for two days starting on Friday, told journalists in Japan – where he has begun a five-country international tour – that he realized there were concerns about the timing of the visit given that the trial of Ms. Suu Kyi is pending.
“It may be the case that the trial may happen during my visit in Myanmar. I am very much conscious of that. At the same time, to find the most appropriate timing has been a challenge for me, too,” he said.
The Secretary-General said he would use the visit to try to “raise in the strongest possible terms” the concerns of the international community about the situation inside Myanmar.
Mr. Ban reiterated that the authorities should release all political prisoners, including Ms. Suu Kyi, immediately resume dialogue between the Government and opposition leaders, and create both a political atmosphere and a legal framework conducive to the holding of credible elections next year.
“This is the commitment and concerns and aspiration of the international community. I am going to convey this strongly to Senior General Than Shwe and other leaders,” he said, adding that he also hopes to have dialogue with grassroots groups during his visit.
He last visited Myanmar in May 2008 in the wake of the catastrophic impact of Cyclone Nargis, which killed almost 150,000 people, and he said today that he hopes to build on the joint humanitarian efforts that emerged following that disaster.
While in Japan, Mr. Ban has held talks with the country’s Foreign Minister, Hirofumi Nakasone, with the two men discussing Myanmar, UN-Japanese cooperation and the implementation of the Security Council resolution on the recent nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
“I urge the North Korean authorities to refrain from taking any further measures which may deteriorate the already very serious situation,” the Secretary-General said to reporters. “These measures taken by the DPRK authorities run counter to the ongoing international community’s efforts to realize nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.”
Tomorrow Mr. Ban is slated to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, other political leaders, business figures, UN goodwill ambassadors, students and children.
After visiting Japan and Myanmar on this trip, the UN chief is scheduled to travel to Switzerland, Ireland and Italy.
Mr. Ban, who is scheduled to visit Myanmar for two days starting on Friday, told journalists in Japan – where he has begun a five-country international tour – that he realized there were concerns about the timing of the visit given that the trial of Ms. Suu Kyi is pending.
“It may be the case that the trial may happen during my visit in Myanmar. I am very much conscious of that. At the same time, to find the most appropriate timing has been a challenge for me, too,” he said.
The Secretary-General said he would use the visit to try to “raise in the strongest possible terms” the concerns of the international community about the situation inside Myanmar.
Mr. Ban reiterated that the authorities should release all political prisoners, including Ms. Suu Kyi, immediately resume dialogue between the Government and opposition leaders, and create both a political atmosphere and a legal framework conducive to the holding of credible elections next year.
“This is the commitment and concerns and aspiration of the international community. I am going to convey this strongly to Senior General Than Shwe and other leaders,” he said, adding that he also hopes to have dialogue with grassroots groups during his visit.
He last visited Myanmar in May 2008 in the wake of the catastrophic impact of Cyclone Nargis, which killed almost 150,000 people, and he said today that he hopes to build on the joint humanitarian efforts that emerged following that disaster.
While in Japan, Mr. Ban has held talks with the country’s Foreign Minister, Hirofumi Nakasone, with the two men discussing Myanmar, UN-Japanese cooperation and the implementation of the Security Council resolution on the recent nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
“I urge the North Korean authorities to refrain from taking any further measures which may deteriorate the already very serious situation,” the Secretary-General said to reporters. “These measures taken by the DPRK authorities run counter to the ongoing international community’s efforts to realize nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.”
Tomorrow Mr. Ban is slated to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, other political leaders, business figures, UN goodwill ambassadors, students and children.
After visiting Japan and Myanmar on this trip, the UN chief is scheduled to travel to Switzerland, Ireland and Italy.
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