PRESS CONFERENCE BY SPECIAL ENVOY FOR MYANMAR

The Myanmar Government's lifting of restrictions on movement of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was not an end in itself, but part of a reconciliation process, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for that country, Razali Ismail, told correspondents this afternoon at a Headquarters press conference.

[On 6 May, the Myanmar Government had ended the de facto 19 month house arrest of Ms. Suu Kyi, the Secretary-General of the National League for Democracy (NLD), shortly after Mr. Razali concluded his seventh mission to Myanmar on 26 April.]

In that reconciliation process, started by the Myanmar Government and the NLD, the United Nations was the external facilitator, Mr. Razali continued.  Her release with full freedom was a notable development.  She was now, as a national leader, in a better position to discuss all aspects of national reconciliation with the Government.  Those aspects included: release of political prisoners; greater freedom for political parties -- not just of the NLD; and the ability of her and others to deal with issues such as economic reforms.  Her release was part of the momentum the United Nations wanted to use to bring the reconciliation process to an early conclusion. 

Answering correspondents' questions, he said there was a commitment on the part of the military to make a transition towards a civilian constitutional, democratic government.  That commitment had been affirmed several times in the past, and the United Nations must hold the military to that commitment.  The release of Ms. Suu Kyi and other measures indicated that the process was on track again.  The military had always tried to consolidate stability and security in the country, and the role and contribution of the present Government in bringing about a modicum of stability and unity should not be ignored.

There was no question of putting pressure on the Government for national or local elections, he said, as the movement towards democracy must be home-grown and not be imposed.  The Government understood clearly how interested the international community was in seeing an evolution towards a democratic government.  Myanmar existed in the context of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and had to take into account the democratic spirit of surrounding countries and the values the United Nations espoused.  A public timetable towards substantive discussions for democratization beyond confidence building had not been set.

Myanmar was, economically speaking, behind other countries,

Mr. Razali said.  The ASEAN area was one of the foremost growth areas in the world with a globalizing economy.  Other ASEAN countries would be looking at Myanmar to contribute to the growth of the area.  The country realized that the absence of development as a result of the absence of

international assistance had contributed to the situation.  It was clear that the only way to get substantial international assistance was to take steps towards democracy.  In order for Myanmar to catch up with the rest of the South-East region, reforms in the economic sector and structural reforms were necessary, and some economic reforms could precede political reforms.  The International Labour Organization (ILO) had been able to get permission for a liaison office, and he thought there would be other offices in various parts of Myanmar to effectively monitor whether the decision of Myanmar to forbid compulsive labour was implemented.

He said that, regrettably, sometimes a faulty picture of Myanmar had been cast.  Ms. Suu Kyi's family had always been able to visit her.  As far as her travel plans were concerned, Ms. Suu Kyi would probably visit some United Nations and Japanese projects related to humanitarian assistance in different parts of Myanmar.  In time, it would be a good idea for her to visit ASEAN countries to study problems dealing with democracy and development.

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