UN Denies Its Envoy's Visit to Myanmar Was Worthless (Update1)

Bloomberg.com: U.K. & Ireland

By Paul Tighe and Daniel Ten Kate

Aug. 26 (Bloomberg) -- The United Nations rejected criticism by Myanmar's opposition party that last week's visit by envoy Ibrahim Gambari was worthless, saying it was part of the UN's objective of holding regular talks with the junta.

The visits are a ``process, not an event,'' Marie Okabe, deputy spokeswoman for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said in New York yesterday. ``One should not make a judgment on the process based on each individual visit.''

Gambari didn't meet with Myanmar's military leader Senior General Than Shwe or Aung San Suu Kyi, the head of the opposition National League for Democracy. The envoy should be more effective and negotiate with the junta and the opposition, Nyan Win, the NLD's spokesman, said by phone from Myanmar yesterday.

Gambari was making his fourth visit since the junta deployed soldiers last September to end the most serious pro- democracy demonstrations in 20 years in the country formerly known as Burma. The U.S. says the military government has failed to meet pledges made after the unrest to pursue national reconciliation and open talks with Suu Kyi.

``Mr. Gambari has told us he has had extensive and open discussions with the government and other interlocutors, which in itself is necessary in order to broaden and deepen the process as expected by the secretary-general,'' Okabe said, according to a UN transcript. Ban intends to return to Myanmar for a visit ``when conditions are right,'' she said.

Political Body

Gambari met with the Union Solidarity and Development Association, a political body set up by the junta that will probably represent the military's interests in elections scheduled for 2010.

``We told Mr. Gambari to do his work, his job and that meeting with other bodies is useless,'' Nyan Win said yesterday. Opposition parties may not support more visits by Gambari in the future, he said.

Suu Kyi, 63, who has been under house arrest for 12 of the 18 years since the NLD won elections that weren't recognized by the military, didn't show up for a meeting with Gambari on Aug. 20. Nyan Win said he didn't know why she didn't attend.

Other opposition members said Suu Kyi was either ill or sending a message she was unhappy with the UN's efforts to promote talks with the regime.

``Suu Kyi didn't show up because Mr. Gambari is going around with the military's agenda and he's being exploited by the military,'' said Zin Linn, a spokesman for the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, a government-in- exile formed by winners of the 1990 election, said yesterday.

State of Health

Myanmar's government made the arrangements for the meeting with Gambari, Okabe said at her briefing.

``To his regret, the meeting did not take place,'' she said. ``We are not going to speculate as to why she was not able to attend.''

The junta denied that Suu Kyi is on hunger strike, Agence France-Presse reported from the former capital, Yangon, today. The reports are rumors that aren't true, the news agency cited an unidentified government official as saying.

The NLD is ``very concerned'' about Suu Kyi's health ``because we have no access to her,'' Nyan Win said last week by phone from Myanmar.

Suu Kyi, who underwent gynecological surgery in 2003 and needed treatment in the hospital in 2006, was suffering from low blood pressure and was unable to leave her bed, Japan's Nikkei news agency reported at the time, citing an unidentified person close to the military regime.

The military has ruled the nation of 47 million people since 1962.

To contact the reporters on this story: Paul Tighe in Sydney at ptighe@bloomberg.net; Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok at dtenkate@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 26, 2008 02:33 EDT