After holding extensive talks with Myanmar’s military junta and pro—democracy leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi, the US has said that the upcoming general elections in that country would carry no international legitimacy.
“The upcoming elections will carry no international legitimacy. We have made that clear to Burma. As to our efforts to continue to engage, it is why Kurt Campbell went (to Burma),” Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P. J. Crowley told reporters at his daily press briefing.
Earlier, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell held extensive talks with the military junta and pro—democracy leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi.
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“In fact, on the course of his conversation with Aung San Suu Kyi, she shared her disappointment that the government was not more forthcoming, was not willing to expand political space, was not willing to have meaningful dialogue with its ethnic groups,” Mr. Crowley said.
The iconic Myanmar leader, who has spent most of her time under house arrest in the past two decades, he said, also continued to support US efforts and international efforts to engage the Myanmar Government.
Despite the tough posture of the US in the aftermath of Mr. Campbell’s visit to Myanmar, Mr. Crowley said the United States will continue with its policy of engagement with the Myanmar military junta as part of its new Myanmar policy announced by the Secretary of State in September last year.
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“Well, our engagement will continue. In what form and at what point, we’ll evaluate as we go along,” he said, adding that the isolation would has not worked in the past.
“We will continue to evaluate. We’ll continue to make clear to Myanmar what it should be doing. Not only in terms of how it relates to its own people, but also another message that Kurt Campbell delivered to them today was to reaffirm that we expect Myanmar to live up to its international obligations, including full support of UN Security Council Resolution 1874,” Mr. Crowley said.
Earlier in a statement, Campbell said we have urged Burma’s senior leadership to abide by its own commitment to fully comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1874.
Applauding the leaders of the National League for Democracy — a political party that has struggled for more than two decades to improve the lives of the Burmese people — with whom I held a lengthy meeting; Mr. Campbell said he was moved by the perseverance and the commitment Aung San Suu Kyi has shown to the cause of a more just and benevolent Myanmar and to the it’s people themselves.
Mr. Campbell travelled to Nay Pyi Taw, wherein he held consultations with the Minister of Science and Technology, the Foreign Minister, the Minister of Information and the Spokes Authoritative Team, the Union Election Commission, the Labour Minister, and the head of the USDA.