New Delhi
11 July 2007
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Special Adviser for
Burma, Mr Ibrahim Gambari, is in New Delhi for talks on how best the international
community could support political transformation in Burma. He is expected to meet with
Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon on Thursday, an official of the Ministry of External
Affairs confirmed.
Mr Gambari reached New Delhi from Beijing, where he held talks with Chinese Vice
Foreign Minister Dai Binguo, Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai and Director-General
Wu Hailong. Sources said that he will travel to Japan after finishing his engagements in
India. Mr Gambari was likely to visit Burma soon to re-engage the military junta for
political reforms.
The sources said that his visit is part of a UN initiative to incorporate all relevant parties
in a constructive dialogue. India continues to engage Burma despite calls from certain
Western capitals to impose newer sanctions against the Burmese military regime.
Questioning India's current policy towards Burma, a member of the Solidarity Committee
for Burmese Freedom Fighters has said that the Burmese military junta was the most
"ruthless regime anywhere in the world" and siding with it was "obnoxious".
The member said, "New Delhi's current policy towards Burma is beyond indifference and
it amounts to tilting towards military rule ... that is unfortunate." Another member said
that the 30-odd Burmese men languishing in a Kolkata jail were victims of the shift in
India's policy towards the Burmese military junta. They recalled that the military regime
has kept Aung San Suu Kyi under detention for more than 11 years.
China, which has adopted a hands-off policy insofar as democratic reforms and human
rights in Burma are concerned, has said that Burma is not a threat to regional security
and indicated that it it would not want to see any further UN Security Council resolutions
against Burma. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang has said that "Burma's
issues should be solved by the Burmese people themselves".
The UN has described Mr Gambari's three-nation tour as a trip to discuss Burma with
some of the "key" countries in the region. "Any effort to promote positive changes in
Burma is going to require not only direct dialogue with the government and people of the
country, but also dialogue with all interested countries and all who can potentially help
support our efforts," the UN has said.
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