Note No. 5766

                                                            18 November 2002

Note to Correspondents

SPECIAL ENVOY VISITS MYANMAR 12-16 NOVEMBER

Razali Ismail, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Myanmar, visited Yangon from 12 to 16 November for his ninth mission to facilitate the national reconciliation process in that country.

During his stay in Yangon, Mr. Razali met with Senior General Than Shwe, the Prime Minister of Myanmar, and the Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), General Khin Nyunt, Secretary-1 in the SPDC, and other Government leaders.  Separately, Mr. Razali met with the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy (NLD), Aung San Suu Kyi, and with the members of the NLD Central Executive Committee.  Additionally, he met with the representatives of the Committee Representing the People's Parliament (CRPP), the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA), and the National Unity Party (NUP).

Mr. Razali continues to believe that dialogue on substantive issues is essential if a lasting and durable national reconciliation in Myanmar is to be achieved.  He urged the Government and the NLD to maximize and develop the existing channel of discussion in order to bring such a dialogue about.  The Special Envoy indicated to the Government that it should take steps to reconvene the National Convention in a manner acceptable to all parties committed to the national reconciliation process.  He made a similar appeal to the NLD and the representatives of Myanmar's other political parties.  Mr. Razali also reiterated his call for the Government to release at one time a very substantive number of political prisoners by the end of 2002.

The Special Envoy remains committed to helping to facilitate national reconciliation and democratization in Myanmar.  He intends to return to Myanmar early next year to assess developments.

* *** *