By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, December 3 -- When UN envoy Vijay Nambiar went to Myanmar over the US Thanksgiving weekend, he was given only a two day visa, sources tell Inner City Press, to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Upon his return he has told UN officials that Aung San Suu Kyi is out of touch, too hardline, a relic.
Nambiar is seen as accommodative to the military government of Than Shwe, and favors Burmese counter parties of a similar bent. Than Shwe, on the other hand, likes to have a mere part time and interim UN envoy, in this case mostly occupied as Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's chief of staff.
On December 2, Inner City Press asked Ban's acting Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq to confirm that Nambiar will briefing the Security Council on December 6, and to respond to criticism of Nambiar's whirlwind visit to Myanmar, including by some of those he met with.
Haq refused to confirm the briefing -- it was later nevertheless confirmed -- and said that some liked Nambiar's visit. Certainly, Myanmar's military government.
One question is why Aung San Suu Kyi offer such public praise of Nambiar's visit, while Nambiar “trashed her,” as one official put it to Inner City Press, immediately upon his return. Watch this site.
From the UN's December 2 transcript:
Inner City Press: Just factually, can you confirm that the Chef de Cabinet, Vijay Nambiar, will be briefing the [Security] Council on 6 December on his visit to Myanmar? And also, if he’s seen the criticisms made by a number of the people that he met with, saying that this was essentially just a kind of a note-taking visit. What’s his response to those now public criticisms in Irrawaddy and elsewhere of the visit by people that he engaged with? What’s his take on the visit?
Acting Deputy Spokesperson Haq: Well, first of all, I don’t share your assessment of the trip. There were a number of viewpoints, including people who were quite pleased with that visit. Secondly, as for the schedule of the Security Council, I will leave it to the President of the Security Council, Ambassador Rice, to brief you at 1 p.m. about what their schedule will be, and she can announce for you what their upcoming programme is.
Inner City Press: Will Mr. Nambiar, either here or at the stakeout or in some other forum, speak to the press about his publicized and long-awaited visit to Myanmar?
Acting Deputy Spokesperson: Well, if he does brief the Security Council, we will see at that point whether he intends to brief the press at that point.
Watch this site.
