“I Do Not See an Alternative to Dialogue”

On April 1, The Irrawaddy spoke with Ibrahim Gambari, the United Nations special envoy to Burma, at the UN headquarters in New York about the progress of his efforts to mediate between the country’s ruling junta and the democratic opposition.

Gambari spoke of his frustration with the slow pace of the dialogue process in Burma, but maintained that his diplomatic role has yielded results. During his latest visit to the country, he was chastised by a junta spokesperson for his supposed bias towards the regime’s critics; following the trip, democratic forces in exile called his mission a failure. But the senior diplomat refused to see these developments in a negative light. “Maybe if I am criticized from both sides, it means I am doing something right,” he said. 

Ibrahim Gambari

Answer: Contrary to what the press has generally reported, there were some positive elements from this visit. The fact that it occurred at all [was an achievement]. You recall that I was invited [to visit Burma] after the 15th of April. But it was moved up. At least the authorities were sensitive to the need to engage earlier than their initial plan. Secondly, they also extended the stay by one day. That may not seem a lot, but the fact of the matter is that at least there is willingness on their part to change their minds and to try to accommodate us as much as possible.

Q: What was the message you conveyed to the military junta?

A: I would say that I conveyed to the highest authorities available to us the serious concerns of the international community on two issues: the steps they have taken regarding the referendum on the constitution [in May] and the elections [in 2010]. For us, the fact that we were pressing for a timeline on the seven-step road map and they finally gave it is at least something to work with. Our position, then, is to convey to them that the international community hopes that this process will be credible and also inclusive. I made specific recommendations along these lines.

Q: But you were unable to meet Snr-Gen Than Shwe.

A: Although I did not meet the senior-general, I met with eight ministers, four deputy ministers, the chairman of the constitution drafting committee, the chairman of the referendum convening committee [and] members of five political parties. I also met with Aung San Suu Kyi twice, with [members of] the international diplomatic community twice [and] with the UN country team at the UN House, also twice. Then finally, of course, I communicated with [Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein] in writing. He responded by sending a deputy minister to give their response to some of the issues that I had raised.

Q: So what were the results?

A: Engaging them was one. Second, conveying the message, and third, [I] played the role of the mediator by passing messages between Aung San Suu Kyi and the government. Though the dialogue that we inaugurated between the government and Aung San Suu Kyi is not going as well as we would like, the role of the United Nations is to try to facilitate—we also got an opportunity to do that.

Q: How optimistic are you that your recommendations will be accepted by the military junta?

A: First of all, at the formal meeting—I had one formal meeting—they had already positioned on a number of issues even before we had a chance to articulate our position. It did not go very well, and I had a formal rejection of some specific suggestions that included our offer of technical assistance to the commission that is organizing both the referendum and the subsequent election. [Our other recommendations included] the idea of independent monitors and a proposal regarding a national economic forum.