Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1myanmar021308.html
UNITED NATIONS, February 13 -- While at the UN the Group of Friends on Myanmar met behind closed doors, the Burmese government confined democracy activist Tin Oo to another year of house arrest. This came days after the announcement of a referendum, which will apparently exclude the opposition parties. From Myanmar's border with Thailand a just-escaped democracy activist described continued repression, saying of the Burmese government that UN envoy Ibrahim "Gambari may tell them to stop arresting people but they just carry on." At UN headquarters on Wednesday, Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Michele Montas for a reaction to this, from Mr. Gambari or the Secretary-General. Ms. Montas replied that Ban has called not only Indonesia's president, but also the foreign ministers of China and India, two of the members of the Group of Friends on Myanmar. Friends *of* Myanmar, one wag observed, noting that China's state-owned CNOOC recent swapped stakes in Burmese gas projects with its equivalent from Thailand, which is another of the Friends.
Later in the UN's basement, before the 5 p.m. meeting of this Group of Friends, Inner City Press asked France's Deputy Permanent Representative Jean-Pierre Lacroix about the purpose of the meeting. "It is important that we meet," he simply said. As Mr. Ban entered the meeting, Inner City Press asked him if he will visit Myanmar, as requested by Thailand and others, if so-directed by the Group of Friends. Ban smiled but did not answer. Next to him, envoy Gambari when asked when he will go to Myanmar said, "As soon as possible."
Nearly two hours later as the meeting ended, several attendees viewed as more sympathetic to the Burmese government told Inner City Press that the referendum may be a good thing. Gambari summarized the meeting as focused on the referendum, rather than on when he will go to Myanmar. Some see the glass as half full, he said, barely bothering to finish with those who see it as half empty. Inner City Press asked Gambari about the continued confinement of Tin Oo, and Gambari said, "It is not helpful."
When Inner City Press asked Mr. Gambari what he thought of Myanmar being the topic of the new Rocky film, Gambari said that he hadn't been aware. Since Sylvester Stallone claims that it was the UN who told him that Myanmar is the most forgotten humanitarian crisis on Earth, one wonder to whom Stallone / Rocky spoke. We'll see.
Footnote on financial disclosure: while Ban Ki-moon urged all Under Secretaries General, of which Gambari is one, to make public some financial disclosure, a call Ban reiterated at the Security Council stakeout when asked by Inner City Press, as of February 13, the list of disclosers still does not include Gambari. Surely he's busy, but as UN Ethics Office chief Robert Benson told Inner City Press, it does not take too long. So when will this glass be filled? Watch this site, and this one too.
