| By KYAW ZWA MOE | Friday, December 8, 2006 |
Burma’s main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, called on a diplomat from an Asean country to take a leading role in resolving the deadlock between Burma’s military rulers and opposition parties, according to a confidential letter obtained by The Irrawaddy.
The letter—dated May 31 and signed by NLD Chairman Aung Shwe and Secretary U Lwin—was addressed to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and included a range of issues, including the national reconciliation process, the role of the armed forces in Burma’s political future and humanitarian projects in the country.
“The UN or the international community must initiate the terms and conditions of the dialogue because this process will shape the destiny of the country,” the NLD letter stated. “A negotiator must negotiate the deal and attest to the reconciliation process.”
The NLD letter also disagreed with the suggestion—made by UN Under Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari following his first visit to Burma in May—that the UN country team, referring to the UN Development Programme and its chief coordinator Charles Petrie, would play a more active role between the government and the NLD.
“This would be practicable,” the NLD letter stated, “if we were considering using the UN Country Team as a post office or perhaps as an interlocutor who sat in on meetings.”
The letter continued: “They [UNDP] are not trained or experienced or in the habit of negotiating ‘National Reconciliation’ between two dissidents, ideologically apart and highly motivated. Our experience is that those who have served in this country for some time in any capacity have become conditioned to move within the framework of thought and action set up by the SPDC [State Peace and Development Council].
While admitting that the task of national reconciliation was “an almost impossible task,” the letter stated that it “should be attempted under the leadership of a wise politician of stature dedicated to democratization and experienced in the ways of power possibilities and needs.”
“Regarding my role in Myanmar [Burma],” the UNDP’s Petrie responded, “it is that of coordinator of the UN system’s development and humanitarian activities in the country. My role as the UN coordinator also entails the facilitation and support of the other efforts in which the UN is engaged.”
Other opposition groups and former activists in Burma have expressed doubts about some UN officials and western diplomats, suggesting they had attempted to marginalize opposition forces, including detained NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
“The responsibilities of my position include engagement with all stakeholders, which I strive to do to the best of my abilities,” Petrie said.
The NLD letter advises that the UN country team not be involved in the national reconciliation process. “The country team should be busy enough looking after their basic assignments,” the letter stated. “We are of the opinion that any head of a UN country team should not be given the responsibility for a position that he or she is not professionally suited for.”