UN Security Council to Discuss Burma

NEW YORK — As the United Nations plans to send special envoy Ibrahim Gambari to Burma in September and the Security Council prepares to discuss Burma on Thursday, the US says it will push for a “focused” political approach on Burma.

"The political track needs to be focused on now, front and center, with regard to Burma," said US Ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad.

Khalilzad stressed the "process" adopted by the military junta to get a new constitution approved was "very much flawed." A group of five Burmese parliamentarians on Monday sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the five Permanent Representatives on the Security Council urging the UN to declare Burma’s new constitution illegitimate.

A UN spokesperson said that Gambari intends to discuss such concerns during his visit to Burma next month.

Khalilzad said the referendum on the draft constitution did not meet the standards of the Security Council and its presidential statement which the council outlined before the referendum.

The council’s UN presidential statement asked for the release of all political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi, and for a free, fair and transparent process surrounding the referendum. The Burmese junta went ahead with a referendum in the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Nargis that killed more than 130,000 people. Led by the US, the international community called it a sham referendum.

"That's why we have been of the view that the international system and the UN needs to focus on the political track once again in Burma," Khalilzad said.

"Because of the terrible humanitarian situation in the aftermath of the cyclone, there was less attention paid to the political process," Khalilzad said. "We think that's vital, and that's why we have been urging the secretary-general to send his special envoy back and to achieve specific progress."

Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes arrived in Burma on Tuesday for a three-day visit to assess progress in the aid relief and recovery operations.

Holmes visited several affected communities in the Irrawaddy delta on Tuesday during a helicopter tour.

"He noted that significant progress has been made since his last visit (in May),” said a UN spokesperson. “The focus now needs to be on reaching the most vulnerable communities in remote areas."

Holmes planned to meet the humanitarian community and donors in Rangoon on Wednesday. He also planned to travel to Naypyidaw, the capital, on Friday for consultations with Burmese officials.