Myanmar's Failure to Talk With Suu Kyi Frustrates UN, Ban Says

By Michael Heath

Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) -- The failure of Myanmar's junta to hold talks with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and move toward democracy is frustrating, United Nations Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon said.

``Meaningful steps have yet to be taken by the Myanmar authorities in response to the concerns and expectations'' of the international community, Ban said in a report on talks between the world body and the military regime during the past year.

The report covers the period from last October, when the junta faced global condemnation for its crackdown on the biggest opposition protests in almost 20 years, through to September. UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari failed to meet with Suu Kyi or win concessions from the regime when he visited Myanmar in August.

Myanmar's military, which has ruled the Southeast Asian nation since 1962, maintains it is making progress toward democracy. The junta staged a referendum on a new constitution in May, which it says was approved by 92 percent of voters, and plans to hold elections in 2010. The vote would be the first since a 1990 ballot won by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, a result rejected by the military.

The U.S. and European Union condemned the May referendum as a ``sham'' and said the proposed elections lack credibility because Suu Kyi is barred from running. The 63-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner is unable to stand for election because she was married to a U.K. national. Her husband, British scholar Michael Aris, died in 1999.

Failed to Respond

The junta in the country formerly known as Burma has failed to respond to UN proposals ``to improve the credibility and inclusiveness of the political process,'' Ban said in his report.

The UN's key proposals are for the junta to free political prisoners, including Suu Kyi, and start talks with her. Suu Kyi has spent 12 of the past 18 years under house arrest and the junta extended her current period of detention by one year on May 27.

``Expectations are high that the government of Myanmar will start taking substantive action on the proposals'' from the UN, Ban said, adding the regime must ``genuinely demonstrate its stated commitment to cooperating with the United Nations.''

Liaison Officer

Myanmar appointed a liaison officer for Suu Kyi last October and the minister met with her five times between November and January. The talks, the first since 2003, then abruptly stopped.

Suu Kyi declined to meet with Gambari during his August visit. Some NLD members said she was sending a message that she was unhappy with the UN's efforts to push the junta toward democratic change.

Gambari said in March that Myanmar's military is considering returning the nation to civilian rule under a model similar to the government of late Indonesian President Suharto, who guaranteed the army seats in parliament.

Ban called on all countries aiming for a solution in Myanmar to ``work constructively together'' in support of the UN's efforts.

The Bush administration has led international criticism of the junta since last September's protests that left at least 31 people dead. It also criticized the regime after it obstructed global relief operations to help survivors of Tropical Cyclone Nargis. The storm swept through Myanmar's southern Irrawaddy River Delta in May, leaving 138,000 people dead or missing.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Heath in Sydney at mheath1@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: October 20, 2008 21:19 EDT

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