SECRETARY-GENERAL’S SPECIAL ENVOY ENCOURAGES DEVELOPMENT OF DIALOGUE IN MYANMAR

SECRETARY-GENERAL’S SPECIAL ENVOY ENCOURAGES DEVELOPMENT OF DIALOGUE IN MYANMAR

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

Razali Ismail, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Myanmar, concluded his week-long mission to Myanmar today.  During his visit, he met separately with leaders of the Government and the National League for Democracy (NLD), including Lt.-Gen. Khin Nyunt, Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), and NLD General Secretary Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as several ethnic nationalities leaders, and travelled to the Wa and Kokan areas in Shan State.

Mr. Razali encouraged both the Government and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to develop their talks as soon as possible into a substantive dialogue.  In this context, Mr. Razali urged the Government to continue to release political prisoners, in particular the 19 MPs still detained, to create a political climate conducive to advancing the dialogue.

Mr. Razali was pleased that all parties remain committed to the process of national reconciliation and democracy.  He is hopeful that some significant progress could be achieved in the near future.

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