Japanese officials and UN envoy meet to discuss Myanmar

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Adviser on Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, today wrapped up his current round of consultations in key Asian capitals with a visit to Tokyo for talks with senior Japanese officials.

Mr. Gambari met with Japanese Vice-Foreign Minister Masayoshi Hamasa and Deputy Vice-Foreign Minister Chikao Kawai, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York.

She said the Special Adviser and the Japanese officials held “detailed and open discussions” on how best the UN and Japan can work together to support Myanmar’s efforts to implement relevant General Assembly resolutions on the situation in the Asian country.

During this trip, Mr. Gambari has already visited Beijing and New Delhi for consultations with officials in China and India respectively. Two weeks ago, he also held talks with United States officials in Washington.

When Mr. Gambari was appointed in May, the Secretary-General’s spokesperson said in a statement that Mr. Ban “looks forward to the cooperation of the Government of Myanmar and all relevant parties to the national reconciliation process, with a view to making tangible progress towards the restoration of democracy and the protection of human rights.”