UN envoy to visit Myanmar on five-day mission
Sunday, August 17, 2008
UNITED NATIONS envoy Ibrahim Gambari is returning to Myanmar for a five-day visit tomorrow at the invitation of the ruling military regime, an official confirmed yesterday.
The trip was initially planned for May but postponed when Cyclone Nargis hit the country overnight May 2-3 devastating the fertile delta region and leaving 138,000 people dead or missing.
"He will arrive on Monday and stay here for about five days. He will meet with the information minister in Yangon the next day," a Myanmar official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The official could not confirm whether Gambari would meet with senior military officials or visit detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
It will be Gambari's fourth visit in his role as mediator between Myanmar's rulers and the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
His last visit in March was described as "disappointing" by UN officials after the junta publicly rebuffed his calls for political reform. While Gambari held two meetings with Aung San Suu Kyi, he was unable to see junta leader General Tan Shwe.
Myanmar's information minister Kyaw Hsann rebuked Gambari after his November visit for releasing a letter written by Suu Kyi. The regime also rejected Gambari's offer to send foreign observers to a referendum held in May.
AFP
The trip was initially planned for May but postponed when Cyclone Nargis hit the country overnight May 2-3 devastating the fertile delta region and leaving 138,000 people dead or missing.
"He will arrive on Monday and stay here for about five days. He will meet with the information minister in Yangon the next day," a Myanmar official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The official could not confirm whether Gambari would meet with senior military officials or visit detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
It will be Gambari's fourth visit in his role as mediator between Myanmar's rulers and the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
His last visit in March was described as "disappointing" by UN officials after the junta publicly rebuffed his calls for political reform. While Gambari held two meetings with Aung San Suu Kyi, he was unable to see junta leader General Tan Shwe.
Myanmar's information minister Kyaw Hsann rebuked Gambari after his November visit for releasing a letter written by Suu Kyi. The regime also rejected Gambari's offer to send foreign observers to a referendum held in May.
AFP
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