U.N. Rejects Burmas Slap at Special Envoy

WASHINGTON—A senior United Nations official has rejected charges by Burma's military government that the U.N. special envoy for Burma is biased against the ruling junta.

"I do not think in any way that his view is biased," U.N. spokesman Kiyotaka Akasaka said in an interview, referring to special envoy Ibrahim Gambari who is now in Burma. "He has been trying honestly to help the situation to be improved and political reform and dialogue and democratization of the country [to] be achieved through these efforts."

"Mr. Gambari has been trying to be, of course, impartial in terms of his efforts to address the problems in the country. He has been visiting the neighboring countries…China, ASEAN countries, Japan, and India. And the neighboring countries are supporting Mr. Gambari’s efforts," he said.

Earlier Friday, Burma’s Information Minister Kyaw Hsan denounced Gambari for releasing a statement on behalf of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi following his last visit in November, in which she said she was willing to cooperate with the regime in starting a national dialogue.

"Most people have criticized you for showing a bias. Some also believe that you wrote this letter in advance and released it after negotiations with Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi," state television quoted him as saying. "You have acted outside your role as a mediator."

I know that Burmese people are very patient and kind people. I have been to the country and I know that they are patient and persistent in pursuit of the political and economic improvement of the country.

Akasaka said the United Nations remains hopeful that constitutional reforms in Burma can be made more inclusive, which is "a key element for the reconciliation efforts…I am hopeful that Mr. Gambari’s efforts will bear fruit in the coming weeks and months."

'Patient and persistent'

"I know that Burmese people are very patient and kind people. I have been to the country and I know that they are patient and persistent in pursuit of the political and economic improvement of the country," Akasaka said.

In a surprise move, the ruling generals recently announced a referendum in May on a new constitution, to be followed by a general election in 2010. The poll would be the first since a 1990 election whose outcome the military ignored.

Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate who has spent 12 of the last 18 years under house arrest, would be barred from the 2010 elections because she had been married to a foreigner, which would violate the newly drafted constitution, Singapore's Straits Times newspaper has reported.

Original reporting by RFA's Southeast Asian language services. Executive producer: Susan Lavery. Written and produced in English by Sarah Jackson-Han.