Secretary-General's press encounter following meeting of the Group of Friends of the Secretary-General on Myanmar
New York, 23 February 2009SG:Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is a great pleasure to see you.Today, I convened and chaired the eighth meeting of the Group of Friends of the Secretary-General on Myanmar to discuss the current situation in the country and ongoing efforts inthe context of my good offices mandate. The Group heard a briefing from my Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari, on the outcome of his recent visit to Myanmar.The Group of Friends continues to express unified support for the continuation of our goodoffices efforts. Our Myanmar interlocutors have also indicated the importance they attachto the good offices' work. My Special Adviser is prepared to extend the UN's politicalfacilitation with both the Government and the Opposition to build on these efforts.It would be disappointing if this were not followed now by meaningful steps in response tothe specific recommendations made by the United Nations in the context of my goodoffices. This is the time for Myanmar to seize the opportunity before it to send positivesignals.In this regard, I note that following the visit of my Special Adviser, the authorities of Myanmar have announced an amnesty which reportedly includes some 23 politicalprisoners as of now, including individuals whose names Mr. Gambari discussed with theauthorities during his visit.I wish to reiterate my call for the release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung SanSuu Kyi, and the resumption of dialogue between the Government and the Opposition without delay and without preconditions.I reminded all the Friends that they all have an important role to play, includingneighbouring countries and ASEAN members who are best placed to appreciate and helpaddress the challenges and opportunities facing Myanmar.It is in the interest of the international community as a whole, however, that we shouldcollectively find ways to encourage Myanmar to move towards meeting the expectationsand concerns of the international community.To that end, I am committed to make every effort to continue to implement the mandateentrusted to me, with the cooperation of Myanmar and the support of the internationalcommunity.Thank you very much.Q:Mr. Secretary-General, you have a situation where it seems like the Security Councildiplomats are saying they are too divided really to do much on Myanmar right now. Youhave disappointment over Mr. Gambari's last visit. You have a signal from the regime interms of the release of political prisoners. Is it time then for you to use, Sir, your position,and go to Myanmar to use your personal influence to get them to move ahead?SG:First of all, the recent visit by Professor Ibrahim Gambari made a positive contributionto our ongoing negotiations and consultations with the Myanmar authorities. I would welcome this announcement of amnesty as a first step towards a larger and biggerimplementation by the Myanmar authorities. There are still hundreds and hundreds of detainees [held] under political reasons. As I said, I would urge again the Myanmarauthorities to release all the detainees, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
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