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Southeast Asia
U.N. council deplores crushing of Myanmar protests
2007-10-12
The U.N. Security Council deplored on Thursday Myanmar's crushing of pro-democracy protests and urged political dialogue, in a statement uniting Western powers and China for the first time. The statement said "all political prisoners and remaining detainees" should be released soon and called on the junta that has ruled Myanmar for four decades to prepare for a "genuine dialogue" with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Boy howdy that ought to do it.
The official policy statement is not legally binding but because -- unlike a resolution -- it required the consent of all 15 council members it left the Myanmar government isolated, Western diplomats said.
So it's not exactly a strongly-worded statement.
It was the first time the council had taken official action on Myanmar and marked a shift of position by China, a neighbor and key trading partner of Myanmar that had previously used its veto to prevent criticism of the country's authorities.

The United Nations said special envoy Ibrahim Gambari would leave over the weekend for an Asian tour expected to culminate in his second visit to Myanmar since the junta cracked down on the demonstrations led by Buddhist monks last month.

Myanmar authorities admits 10 people were killed, but Western governments says the toll is likely to be much higher.

"The Security Council strongly deplores the use of violence against peaceful demonstrations in Myanmar," said the statement read by council president Leslie Kojo Christian of Ghana after the West and China had haggled for six days over the text.

The council "emphasizes the importance of the early release of all political prisoners and remaining detainees," it added. "The Security Council stresses the need for the government of Myanmar to create the necessary conditions for a genuine dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all concerned parties and ethnic groups, in order to achieve an inclusive national reconciliation."
Posted by:Fred

#1  "and the dead monks decomposing in the jungle should be made alive, immediately"
Posted by: Frank G   2007-10-12 06:25  

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