From AFP, via The Asia Age:
Twenty former world leaders, including Lionel Jospin of France and Mary Robinson of Ireland, on Friday urged China to use its influence to press Burma’s junta to hold talks with the Opposition.
The former heads of state and government made the call in a letter addressed to Chinese President Hu Jintao, handed over by Norway’s former Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik to China’s ambassador in Oslo.
“Dear President Hu,” they wrote. “We are writing to you to ask you to support a peaceful and inclusive dialogue for national reconciliation in Burma, in light of nationwide demonstrations and shooting on the streets of Burma’s major cities.” [Full Text]
Read also Statement on Myanmar at the United Nations Security Council Open Briefing by Wang Guangya (ÁéãÂÖâ‰∫ö), Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the UN:
Mr. President,
First of all, I wish to thank Mr. Gambari, Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on Myanmar for his briefing and I would also like to express my congratulations to him for achieving the expected objectives through his visit to Myanmar.
Mr. President,
China is an immediate neighbor of Myanmar. The two countries share a border of over 2,000 kilometers. The two peoples have lived as neighbors and shared weal and woe since ancient times. Therefore, our concern to the situation in Myanmar is no less than any other country. We sincerely hope to see a Myanmar with political stability, economic prosperity, social harmony and democratic progress.
Since late September, the situation in Myanmar has witnessed some disturbances, which seriously disrupted the normal life of the people in Myanmar. The Chinese Government and leadership have followed the situation very closely, and in many occasions called on all parties concerned to exercise restraints, restore stability through peaceful means at an early date, promote national reconciliation and achieve democratic progress. China has called on the Government of Myanmar to commit itself to improving the livelihood of its people, maintaining ethnic harmony and properly addressing related social issues. China also encourages the Myanmar Government to implement the seven-step roadmap promptly and continue to make greater efforts on democratization process. We believe that Myanmar’s stability serves the fundamental and long-term interests of its people as well as the common interests of the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large. On this very point, China shares the same position, perspective and expectation with the rest of the international community.
Mr. President,
China firmly supports Secretary-General’s good offices and always believes that the United Nations could and should be able to play a constructive role in helping Myanmar. During his visit to Myanmar, Mr. Gambari had an in-depth exchange of views with leaders of Myanmar on the ground situation and also met people from different communities and circles. This is one good step. We are quite encouraged to see the result of this visit and highly appreciate the efforts made by Mr. Gambari and the Government of Myanmar.
China has made its due efforts to promote stability in Myanmar and encourage the Myanmar government to continue its engagement with the international community. So far, Mr. Gambari’s visit has achieved some initial results. He had listened to the views of different parties in the country and also conveyed the concerns of the outside world. The completion of good offices is not merely up to one or two missions. It is a gradual process that needs to yield tangible results. We support and encourage Mr. Gambari to continue his engagement with all parties in Myanmar, further build on mutual trust and facilitate candid dialogue. We learnt that Myanmar has invited Mr. Gambari to visit the country again in mid November this year. We sincerely hope that by embarking on trips to Myanmar, Secretary-General’s good offices would truly help Myanmar to achieve internal stability and national reconciliation, provide constructive assistance to the country in addressing economic, social, humanitarian and human rights problems. Any actions to be conducted by the Security Council should be aimed at facilitating the good offices of the Secretary-General, rather than affecting, or even undermining the mutual trust already established, which is crucial for Mr. Gambari’s further efforts.
Mr. President,
It is noticed that the situation in Myanmar is calming down recently, which is a good result of the joint efforts of all parties in Myanmar and the international community. China hopes that the situation in Myanmar will continue to develop in a positive direction. The current situation does not pose any threat to international or regional peace and security. And the future of Myanmar lies in the hands of its own people and the Government through dialogue and consultation.
It is quite understandable for the outside world to express concern or expectation on Myanmar. However, pressure will not help address the problem, but might lead to mistrust and confrontation, and even cut off the current channel of dialogue and cooperation between Myanmar and the United Nations. Therefore, the Security Council should adopt a prudent and responsible approach while handling the issue of Myanmar. It is our view that the international community could kindly help the country to achieve national reconciliation and democratic progress by offering constructive engagement and honest mediation. The key is a right approach. Yet, if the situation in Myanmar worsens again because of external intervention, the people of Myanmar would be the ultimate victims. This is the last thing that China, other neighbors of Myanmar and countries in the region wish to see. We look forward to the continued constructive engagement and cooperation between the international community and the Myanmar Government, so as to help the situation develop in a positive direction. China supports the positive role of ASEAN and will continue to work with the international community for the appropriate settlement of the Myanmar issue.
Thank you, Mr. President.
