Myanmar faces critical phase as elections loom, UN chief says

The coming months will be critical for Myanmar as it prepares to stage the first national elections in two decades, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling on the country’s authorities to make sure the polls are as inclusive, participatory and transparent as possible.

Speaking after a high-level meeting of the Group of Friends on Myanmar, Mr. Ban said participants “expressed their encouragement, concerns and expectations regarding the current process,” which are supposed to culminate in elections on 7 November.

Participants at the New York meeting, held at the level of foreign minister, discussed ways to intensify joint efforts to help Myanmar’s Government and people “achieve a successful transition towards a credible civilian and democratic government,” Mr. Ban told journalists.

The Group of Friends also called on authorities to take steps to release all political prisoners, including the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

“This is essential for the elections to be seen as credible and to contribute to Myanmar’s stability and development,” the Secretary-General said.

“At this critical stage in Myanmar’s transition, it is all the more important that the Group, and especially Myanmar’s neighbours, encourages Myanmar to engage meaningfully with my good offices. The Group encourages the Government of Myanmar to adopt a more constructive and forward-looking approach in its response to the international community’s call for engagement.”

The Group of Friends today reiterated their commitment to work together to help Myanmar tackle its political, humanitarian and development challenges, and to encourage the country to make further steps towards national reconciliation and democracy.

Formed in 2007, the Group of more than a dozen nations and regional blocs is designed to serve as a consultative forum for developing a shared approach in support of the Secretary-General’s good offices mandate on Myanmar.

In response to questions, Mr. Ban said he would continue his dialogue with Myanmar’s authorities in the coming weeks, including at a meeting next month of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Hanoi, Viet Nam.

He said he had already conveyed his strong wish to Myanmar that the upcoming elections be fair, transparent and inclusive and that all political detainees – including Ms. Suu Kyi – are released.