Burma: National League Executives Push for Talks With UN Envoy

Excerpt from report by Norway-based Burmese Democratic Voice of Burma website on 7 November

While concern is being expressed over the lack of progress after UN Special Envoy Mr Gambari has spent five days in Burma, we have learned that the military regime has invited three representatives of the National League for Democracy (NLD) today to visit Nay Pyi Taw.

U Nyan Win, member of the NLD Information Committee, said it was still uncertain why the invitation was extended or if that indicated Mr Gambari would no longer visit Rangoon, or if Mr Gambari would still meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Moreover, he said, he was concerned by the remarks of Brig Gen Kyaw Hsan and his team as publicized by the regime’s media sources.

Here is Ko Htet Aung Kyaw’s interview with U Nyan Win.

[Begin recording] [U Nyan Win] At the invitation of the Information Committee, three members of the NLD Executive Committee will leave for Nay Pyi Taw by plane tomorrow morning for a meeting with Mr Gambari.

[DVB] Do you mean to say you will be having a meeting in Nay Pyi Taw?

[U Nyan Win] Yes, that is true.

[DVB] Why? Does that mean Gambari will not be coming to Rangoon?

[U Nyan Win] That, we do not know. According to the invitation received, three executives – U Aung Shwe, U Lwin, and U Nyunt Wai – will be leaving for Nay Pyi Taw tomorrow.

[DVB] So, there will be a meeting. Is there anything new? What do the executives intend to present at the meeting?

[U Nyan Win] As we had explained yesterday, we cannot reveal what we will be presenting before the actual meeting. When we meet tomorrow, we will discuss and propose measures aimed at achieving national reconciliation.

[DVB] I see. Now that the three executives have been invited to Nay Pyi Taw like other foreign diplomats who were asked to be there, how do you feel about it since Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is in Rangoon? Will he still be coming to meet her in Rangoon?

[U Nyan Win] We do not have any information that concerns Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

[DVB] I see. How is her health now?

[U Nyan Win] She is well as far as we know.

[DVB] Now that NLD executives have been invited, the press and other media sources have carried reports about Mr Gambari’s meeting with Brig Gen Kyaw Hsan and others, and State Peace and Development Council has responded by rejecting the proposed talks between Mr Gambari, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and Maj Gen Aung Kyi, how do you feel about that?

[U Nyan Win] Our observation is that at the meeting between Mr Gambari and Brig Gen Kyaw Hsan and his group, the usual rhetoric to blame political parties for everything had changed and they were blaming and warning the United Nations now. In connection with the proposed three-party talks between Mr Gambari, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and Maj Gen Aung Kyi, the SPDC’s Information Committee declined with the excuse that Maj Aung Kyi and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had only met once. In our view, that was a vague response because we do not know how many times the two should meet first or when the two should meet before the talks could be held. We believe their response was not expressed clearly.

[DVB] I see. Only yesterday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon had said that Gambari had been in Burma for five days already but not been able to fulfil his tasks yet, that he still did not have permission to meet with Senior General Than Shwe. Given the situation and the response from the SPDC information team, do you still believe that the United Nations could still play a role? This is because there is a growing public opinion that the military regime is being headstrong and reluctant as usual. Will the talks still take place? How do you feel about it?

[U Nyan Win] As stated in our Statement No 1/2007, we continue to believe that the talks between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Senior General Than Shwe will take place. But, as to the remarks by Mr Ban Ki-Moon about progress not being made, we have to concur with him because we do not see any actual progress being made. [End recording]

That was an interview with U Nyan Win, member of the NLD Information Committee, about the latest situation, including the invitation extended to three NLD leaders to Nay Pyi Taw for talks with Mr Gambari.

Ko Htet Aung Kyaw, we now know the position of the NLD but how are the other organizations thinking about it, please explain to us.

[Begin recording] [Htet Aung Kyaw] All the people I spoke to were quite disappointed with the developments. One observer went so far as to say that no dialogue was ever going to take place as long as Senior Gen Than Shwe was alive and that it will only happen when he dies. Before I continue, I wish to report about the views of a Chin national leader in Rangoon who continues to place hope that he will get a chance to meet with Mr Gambari. He is quite unhappy with the fact that the authorities had arranged a “bogus” ethnic leader to meet with Mr Gambari.

[Htaung Ko Thang] Yesterday, I saw MRTV showing Dr Pu Thang, the delegate who attended the National Convention, as the representative of the ethnic nationalities. There are two types of ethnic nationalities. One group consists of ethnic nationalities which support the SPDC and the other which sides with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. We were also waiting for a meeting when Mr Gambari arrived. But, we have not met him since the very first time he came here. We are hoping for a meeting with him and continue to do so until now. What I want to say here is that every time he comes, he only sees the ethnic nationalities on their side and never those who stand with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. I have to say that the practice is too partial.

[Htet Aung Kyaw] The military regime’s media have been playing up yesterday’s meeting between Mr Gambari and Brig Gen Kyaw Hsan. To sum up, the SPDC will not heed the suggestions by Mr Gambari or the UN Security Council and will go alone on their own. In light of this situation, what are your hopes and are the prospects still good?

[Htaung Ko Thang] No, the prospects are not good. This is because the SPDC will be drafting a constitution based on its own principles. It has even formed a constitution drafting commission and will proceed according to its seven-point roadmap. This is something not acceptable to the political parties and the ethnic nationalities. That is why we are already having problems until now. If the plan is acceptable, they would have continued attending [the National Convention] since 1996 and everything would have been resolved by now. We have been asking for a dialogue to discuss these issues. If they want to continue drafting the constitution and proceed with the roadmap, why should we be demanding for a dialogue? What we mainly hoped from the proposed dialogue is to revise on the basis of the 1990 [election] results the principles approved by the National Convention, which is one of the phases of the seven-point roadmap. We were hoping for that. But, since this is not happening, I personally do not see much hope for the future of Burma. There is one factor that this military regime does not seem to know. And, that factor is that unforeseeable things can happen in the political future of Burma. They have been ignoring that fact. For instance, the monk movement in September was something that was not foreseen. It was not instigated by anyone. It was not incited by the students or the political parties. These things have their own way of happening. Serious consideration is needed.

[Htet Aung Kyaw] That was U Htaung Ko Htang, member of the Committee Representing People’s Parliament, who was released from Insein Prison last week. [Passage omitted] [End recording]

Originally published by Democratic Voice of Burma website, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 7 Nov 07.

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