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KUALA LUMPUR: UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari wants
Southeast Asian nations to turn their rhetoric on Myanmar into real
action to achieve reforms, a senior source briefed by the diplomat
said Wednesday.
The diplomatic source said
Gambari wants to “see what Asean governments are really prepared
to do” to resolve the crisis in Myanmar following its violent
crackdown on antigovernment protesters.
“It is not enough for Asean
countries to make statements expressing concern. They must now work
together with the UN, China and India,” the source told AFP,
referring to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
“Gambari wants Asean to be
really involved in monitoring what is happening in Myanmar, not just
statements from conference to conference.”
The source was briefed by Gambari
in Malaysia, where the UN envoy arrived Tuesday on a regional tour.
The regime in Myanmar has come
under heavy international pressure since it violently suppressed
pro-democracy protests last month led by Buddhist monks, triggering
condemnation from around the world.
Gambari’s regional tour is
aimed at increasing pressure on the ruling junta to halt its
suppression of the peaceful rallies, release political detainees and
launch talks with the pro-democracy opposition.
The diplomatic source said the
Nigerian-born envoy wanted Southeast Asian governments—who have
been criticized in the past for failing to tackle their troublesome
neighbor—to step up to a new level of engagement on Myanmar.
“ Asean members must be
persistent and monitor, and make sure that expected discussions
between the Myanmar government and the opposition and other parties
actually take place,” he said.
“In the past, this was all left
to the Myanmar government. This must now change.”
Malaysia’s Foreign Minister
Syed Hamid Albar said Tuesday after talks with Gambari that the
envoy had the full support of Asean, but that the bloc would never
suspend Myanmar from the grouping.
“If you want Myanmar to
continue to be engaged, first we should not be talking about
suspending. Nobody can talk when you are threatening with all sorts
of things,” he said.
Gambari met Wednesday with
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and was due to
hold a press conference later.
He is due to fly on to Indonesia,
India, China and Japan. He aims to return to Myanmar by
mid-November.
--AFP
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