U.N. chief to visit Myanmar, praises democratic reforms

April 24, 2012 07:52 am | Updated 07:52 am IST - New York

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on late Monday he would visit Myanmar at the invitation of the country’s president, calling for him and the opposition to make more progress toward democratic reform.

Mr. Ban said he would leave New York this weekend, on his third visit to Myanmar, where he will meet with President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and congratulate them personally for advancing democracy. He visited Myanmar in 2008 and 2009.

Mr. Ban said he welcomed the “positive international response” to Myanmar, including the United States’ and European Union’s decisions to suspend sanctions imposed previously on Myanmar to push for democratic reform.

“We need to see more such progress, more international support for Myanmar’s efforts to reform and bring about democratic change,” Mr. Ban told reporters after meeting with the Group of Friends of Myanmar to discuss his upcoming visit.

“On this visit, I look forward to personally congratulating President Thein Sein and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,” he said. “Working together, they have come far. Working together, I am confident that they will go further still.” “And together, we will explore the many tangible and practical ways in which the UN can help,” he said. “The government of Myanmar and its people have embarked on a path of reconciliation, democratization and development to build a better future for all.

They deserve our full support.” Ban called for an agreement to resolve the stand-off in Myanmar’s Parliament, where Ms. Suu Kyi and members of her National League for Democracy who won seats in the Parliament have not been sworn in due to a dispute about the wording of the oath they are required to take.

He said a solution should be found to end the stalemate “for the further democratization of their country.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.