New Delhi (Mizzima) - Burma's main opposition party the National League for Democracy on Monday clarified its statement issued on February 17, saying it is not to be misunderstood that detained party leader Aung San Suu Kyi is in agreement with the ruling junta’s statement.
In its statement on February 17, the NLD urged for a dialogue between Burma’s military supremo Snr. Gen Than Shwe and detained opposition party Aung San Suu Kyi for a breakthrough in Burmese politics.
But the statement, in its reference to the ruling junta’s statement No. 1/2007, had mistakenly said, “Confrontation, utter devastation, economic sanctions and total isolation, which are described in the paragraph seven (7) of SPDC's Statement No. 1/2007, do not benefit the country or the people,” conveying a wrong message that the NLD agreed with the junta’s statement.
Nyan Win, NLD spokesperson, told Mizzima that they are clarifying the mistake as it can be misunderstood.
In its ‘Clarification Statement’ released on Monday, the NLD urged readers to correct the mistake and to read the paragraph as, “Paragraph seven (7) of the SPDC’s Statement No. 1/2007 asserts that confrontation, utter devastation, economic sanctions, and total isolation do not benefit the country or the people.”
In 2007, Than Shwe released a statement saying that he is willing to embark on a dialogue with the Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on the condition that she drop her confrontational stand, utter devastation, call for sanctions and total isolation.
The NLD, in its statement on February 17 said, Aung San Suu Kyi had conveyed a message to the junta’s Liaison Minister Aung Kyi that she is willing to talk to Snr. Gen Than Shwe on his statement accusing her and her party of choosing a path of confrontation, utter devastation, calling for economic sanctions, and total isolation.
According to the NLD statement, the detained Nobel Peace Laureate also said, she is willing to talk to Than Shwe if he is willing to come to an agreement over the accusations and is also willing to issue a joint statement after the talks.
With regard to Than Shwe’s accusation in his statement released in 2007, Nyan Win told Mizzima, “We have nothing to withdraw, as the economic sanctions were not imposed by us but are only concerned with the country that imposed the sanctions. And we have not done anything that the junta accused us of doing.”
Moreover, the NLD statement also reiterated its call for a talk between Than Shwe and Aung San Suu Kyi saying, "We always keep the door open".
"Instead of arguments and counter arguments between these two VIPs, there should be a dialogue for the sake of the country," the statement said.
