Gambari advises dialogue over recent crackdown

Sep 21, 2007 (DVB)—UN special advisor on Burma Ibrahim Gambari told the Security Council yesterday that the world body had no choice but to continue efforts at dialogue with the Burmese military in the face of its recent crackdowns on peaceful protests.

According to a statement released by UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson yesterday, Gambari told members of the council that he had no choice as special envoy to the country “but to persevere” with efforts towards dialogue.

“Undoubtedly the developments over the last few weeks in Myanmar have raised serious concerns in the international community and once again underscore the urgency to step up our efforts to find solutions to the challenges facing the country,” Gambari reportedly said.

Gambari’s stance is likely to be met with disappointment from lobby groups and activists working on Burma who have repeatedly called for Security Council action against the military government in the past few weeks.

Many of the monks who have taken part in protests in Burma this week have also called on the UN to take action to prevent further state-sanctioned violence against peaceful protests. High-profile US lobby group, the US Campaign for Burma, has released several statements saying that the time for UN talks on the situation in the country ended long ago.

“United Nations leaders and mechanisms must not be complacent or silent during this critical time,” Aung Din, the policy director of the group said recently. “It is time for secretary general Ban Ki-moon to personally intervene and the Security Council to formulate a collective response.”

Reporting by DVB