Opposition Welcomes UN Envoy's Arrival in Myanmar
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
June 26, 2009
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- Myanmar's opposition welcomed the arrival Friday
of a U.N. special envoy whose visit to the
military-ruled country comes during the trial of their leader,
pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Nobel Peace laureate is in prison and being tried on charges of
violating the terms of her house arrest after an uninvited American man
swam to her closely guarded lakeside home last month and stayed two
days.
Details of the visit by envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who arrived Friday, have
not been disclosed by the U.N., but some officials in Myanmar's
diplomatic community spoke openly about it.
''My understanding is that Dr. Gambari is here to assess the conditions
for a potential visit by the secretary-general,'' said British
Ambassador Mark Canning.
Human Rights Watch and some governments have
urged U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon not to visit now, arguing the trip could
be exploited by the military government, which might portray it as an
endorsement of the legitimacy of Suu Kyi's trial.
But Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party supports the trip, and
other countries say the alternative is to do nothing and miss an
opportunity to have the U.N. chief press for Suu Kyi's release and push
for more open and inclusive elections next year.
Suu Kyi's party said it hoped the visiting U.N. envoy will meet the
opposition party as he has on previous visits.
''We always support and welcome visits by the U.N. secretary-general as
well as any U.N. envoy. We also hope that the U.N. might be able to
carry out their ... mission more efficiently and effectively,'' party
spokesman Nyan Win said without elaborating.
It was unclear Friday whether Gambari would visit Suu Kyi.
After arriving in Yangon, the commercial capital, Gambari was driven in
a motorcade for a four-hour trip to the capital of Naypyitaw to meet
government officials, an official said on condition of anonymity because
he was not authorized to release information to the press.
It was Gambari's eighth visit since 2006 when he was appointed the U.N.
chief's special representative to promote political reconciliation here.
The envoy has met with both junta leaders and Suu Kyi but failed to
nudge the military regime toward talks with the pro-democracy movement.
U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said Thursday in New York that Gambari
will report to the secretary-general on his Myanmar visit before Ban
leaves for a trip to Japan on Monday.
The U.N. has called repeatedly for political reconciliation in Myanmar,
including the release of Suu Kyi. The country has been under military
rule since 1962, and the junta refused to recognize the results of 1990
general elections won by Suu Kyi's party.
Suu Kyi's trial has drawn outrage from the international community and
from her local supporters, who say the military government is using the
incident as an excuse to keep her detained through the 2010 elections.
The trial has been delayed to allow appeals by Suu Kyi's lawyers to
reinstate two key witnesses.
The District Court presiding over the trial at Myanmar's Insein Prison,
where Suu Kyi is being held, told lawyers Friday the trial would resume
July 3, said Nyan Win, who is a defense lawyer for Suu Kyi as well as a
spokesman for her party.