SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES RELEASE OF POLITICAL DETAINEES IN MYANMAR

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES RELEASE OF POLITICAL DETAINEES IN MYANMAR

The following statement was issued today by the Office of the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General welcomes the release of political detainees in Myanmar, including Saw Mra Aung, a senior member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), eight more members of Parliament and four others, which took place on 13 and 14 June 2001, shortly after the visit to the country of his Special Envoy, Razali Ismail.  He hopes to see further release of more political detainees in the near future.

The Secretary-General reiterates that there is no alternative to the ongoing talks between the Government and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to bring about democratization and national reconciliation in Myanmar.  He urges the two sides to make further efforts to achieve tangible progress and calls on the international community to continue supporting the dialogue process in Myanmar.

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