Secretary-General urges Myanmar to clarify position on road map,

 

allow return of special envoy as soon as possible

 

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

Noting their recent decision to adjourn the National Convention, the Secretary-General urges the Myanmar authorities, in light of their public commitments, to clarify their position with respect to the road map process and its timetable so as to dispel the continuing uncertainty surrounding this process.

The Secretary-General also urges the Myanmar authorities to use this occasion to enhance inter-ethnic harmony and political stability by engaging the representatives of all ethnic nationality groups and political leaders in a substantive political dialogue aimed at national reconciliation.

Furthermore, the Secretary-General reiterates the need for the remaining constraints on all political leaders to be lifted, offices of the National League for Democracy (NLD) to be allowed to reopen and for political prisoners, including elected officials, to be released.

The Secretary-General also calls on the Myanmar authorities to allow his Special Envoy to return to the country as soon as possible so that he can facilitate efforts for resuming political dialogue among all the parties concerned.  He further encourages the Myanmar authorities to heed the friendly advice of its fellow Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) members to expedite its reform process.

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