Secretary-General dispatches Myanmar envoy to meet with regional partners

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced that he is sending his Special Adviser on Myanmar back to the region this weekend to meet with regional partners about the situation in the troubled South-East Asian nation.

Ibrahim Gambari recently returned from a visit to Myanmar, where the Government used force – what the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro characterized as a “brutal crackdown” – against peaceful demonstrations led by monks.

According to a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson, the Special Adviser will start his consultations in Thailand next Monday morning before visiting Malaysia, Indonesia, India, China and Japan, with a view to returning to Myanmar shortly thereafter.

In a related development, the Security Council issued a presidential statement today strongly deploring the Government’s use of force against the demonstrators. The 15-member body urged authorities to take major steps towards inclusive national reconciliation and underscored the importance of dialogue between the Government and the opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.