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UN envoy departs for Myanmar on Tuesday

UN envoy departs for Myanmar on Tuesday

The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Myanmar is set to depart tomorrow for his third visit to the troubled South-East Asian nation since the Government forcefully cracked down on peaceful protesters last year.

Ibrahim Gambari, who will arrive in the country on 6 March, “hopes to stay as long as necessary and to consult with a broad range of representatives of Myanmar society, including all the groups which he was not able to see during his last visit,” UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York today.

Ms. Montas added that the details of the Special Adviser’s programme are being discussed with the authorities, and he looks forward to the continued cooperation of the Myanmar Government.

Mr. Gambari last week wrapped up a series of meetings with leaders in Beijing, Jakarta, Singapore and Tokyo as part of his efforts to promote democratization and national reconciliation in Myanmar.

In February the authorities in Myanmar announced a constitutional referendum to be held this May, to be followed by “multi-party democratic elections” in 2010.