Burma responds positively to Annan's call for democratization
Aug 19 (Xinhuanet) - Myanmar will consider the call made on Tuesday by United
Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan for the country's national reconciliation
and democratization process, according to a government statement here Thursday.
"The government of Myanmar appreciates and respects the views and opinion
of the United Nations Secretary General," the statement said.
On Tuesday, Annan urged the Myanmar government to immediately release Aung San
Suu Kyi (ASSK), leader of the main opposition National League for Democracy
(NLD), and hold substantive dialogue with the party and others for the democratization
process.
Annan also called for granting his special envoy Razali Ismail's visit to Myanmar
again as soon as possible so as to facilitate the process.
Myanmar resumed the national constitutional convention on May 17 as the first
step of its seven-point roadmap to democracy without the participation of the
NLD together with the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD).
However, the convention was attended by a total of over 1,000 formally invited
delegates from eight categories of delegate groups mainly including political
parties, representatives-elect (in the 1990 general election), state service
personnel (including armymen) and invited individuals (including turned-in former
anti-government ethnic armed groups).
The session of the convention adjourned on July 9 after month-long discussion
on detailed principles for power sharing in the sectors of legislature, executive
and judiciary.
However, the authorities did not announce the specific date of resuming the
convention which is predicted by October-November.
In August last year, Myanmar announced the political roadmap working for a national
referendum, a general election to produce parliament representatives and forming
a new democratic government. [Source]