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Security Council urges Myanmar to show restraint

— Photo: AP

FACE TO FACE: In this photo made availabe by the Mandalay Gazette, Buddhist monks pray at a riot police’s road block in Yangon on Thursday.

UNITED NATIONS: After initial resistance from China, the U.N. Security Council issued a statement of concern about Myanmar’s violent crackdown on Buddhist monks and urged the military regime to let in a special envoy.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, was expected to leave for the region after briefing the emergency Council meeting on the fatal violence.

Council diplomats said China, which has close economic ties to Myanmar, did not want any document issued after the closed-door session but relented and agreed to a brief statement, which was read to reporters by France’s U.N. Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert.

“Members of the Council have expressed their concern vis a vis the situation, and have urged restraint, especially from the government of Myanmar,” the statement said.

The United States and the Council’s European Union members — Britain, France, Italy and Belgium — had condemned the attacks and called on the military rulers to stop the violence and open a dialogue with pro-democracy leaders.

“What’s going on in Burma [Myanmar] is outrageous,” said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after a meeting of Ministers from the eight major industrialised nations. “The regime needs to stop using violence against peaceful people and get to a dialogue so that they can have reconciliation.”

China and Russia contend that the situation in Myanmar is an internal affair and doesn’t threaten international peace and security — as required for Security Council action — so getting them to agree to the press statement was considered a positive step. — AP

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