Secretary-General welcomes release of political detainees in Myanmar

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the recent release of a number of political detainees in Myanmar and stressed the need to pursue national reconciliation talks between the Government and the opposition.

In a statement released through his spokesman, Mr. Annan also expressed hope that more political detainees would be released in the near future.

"The Secretary-General reiterates that there is no alternative to the ongoing talks between the Government and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to bring about the democratization and national reconciliation in Myanmar," the statement said. "He urges the two sides to make further efforts to achieve tangible progress and calls on the international community to continue supporting the dialogue process in Myanmar."

The release of the group, which included Saw Mra Aung, a senior member of the National League for Democracy, eight more members of parliament and four others, took place on 13 and 14 June 2001, shortly after the Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Razali Ismail, visited the country.