Gambari meets Aung San Suu Kyi
UN envoy holds talks with detained leader during his second visit to Myanmar.
“Until the generals’ military hardware is crumbled, they won’t listen to anyone” Oomlwin, Yangon, Myanmar Send us your views |
Brigadier-General Kyaw Hsan, the information minister, told Gambari that Myanmar’s generals would not support outside “interference”.
Gambari’s second visit to Myanmar in a month is an attempt to pressure Myanmar’s military government to adopt democratic reforms.
Government unmoved
In comments published in the New Light of Myanmar, Kyaw Hsan said the government would not be pressed into making democratic reforms.
“If you wish to see democracy flourishing in Myanmar, you should try to persuade other nations to co-operate with us in assisting [us with] the task,” he said.
“Here, what we would like to say is that we will welcome positive co-ordination and co-operation for Myanmar affairs, but will never accept any interference that may harm our sovereignty.”
Buddhist monks led popular pro-democracy protests in Myanmar in September [AFP] |
State media has indicated the government is only willing to adopt its own seven-stage “road map to democracy”.
The plan has been criticised by Western governments as a method to keep the military generals in power.
Gambari appealed on Wednesday for restrictions on Suu Kyi and all political prisoners to end, the UN and Kyaw Hsan said.
However, Myanmar’s rulers say that Suu Kyi must first abandon her support for international sanctions against the government.
Suu Kyi led the NLD to victory in a general election in 1990, but Myanmar’s generals have not allowed her party to take office.