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A little more than two years ago, the UN's first and only 'Special
Envoy' on Myanmar, Mr Razali Ismail, stepped down after being
repeatedly denied entry to the country, ending a negotiation process
which had begun with his appointment in 2000. The then
Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan judged that the opportunities did not
exist for a revived mediation effort, and instead asked Mr Gambari,
who was then his Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, to
keep an active watch of the situation and look for ways to restore a
level of contact with both the government and the opposition. With
the appointment of Mr Ban Ki-Moon as Secretary-General in 2007, Mr
Gambari was appointed as his 'Special Advisor on the Iraq Compact and
Other Issues'. Myanmar was designated as one of these 'other issues'.
Mr Gambari has since made several trips to the country, including
three since the protests last September. Though some of his initial
proposals were accepted by the ruling State Peace and Development
Council, others have more recently been rejected.
No one will deny the difficulty of the task at hand. Between the
views and desires of the government and those of the main political
opposition led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi there remains a sea of
difference. The government is very much in control and has its own
agenda. It sees little point in engaging with outsiders and
compromising on what it views as matters of basic regime and national
security. To add to the mix are the more than two dozen different
armed groups and a host of rival ethnic interests.And it's not like
mediating in a civil war, with pivotal battles and potential
ceasefires. In Myanmar, the UN is attempting to facilitate a process
of democratic reform, a role it has seldom if ever played.
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Thant Myint U http://www.freeburmacoalition.org/thant_myint_u.htm
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Thant Myint U http://www.freeburmacoalition.org/thant_myint_u.htm
But it's possible that one day, whether it's months or years from now,
there will suddenly appear a fresh opportunity in Myanmar and the
'Good Offices' of the Secretary-General will be an indispensible part
of moving things forward. It's a role that needs to be protected and
preserved. The costs are minimal and there are few alternatives in
sight.
Thant Myint-U
31 March 2007
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