New Delhi - Burma's main opposition party – the National League for Democracy – said on Tuesday that it welcomed the United Nations Secretary General's firm commitment to bring about political change in military ruled Burma.
Nyan Win, spokesperson of the NLD said, "We are happy with the UN's role in trying to bring about changes and focussing on Burma despite many hindrances and limitations."
Nyan Win's appreciation of the UN was following a statement by the world body chief in Tokyo on his re-affirmation of his commitment on change in Burma.
Ban Ki-moon, during a press conference in Tokyo on Monday told reporters that he had seen signs of development in Burma and "things seemed to be moving towards the right direction," in terms of helping cyclone survivors in the country.
However, on the political issue, that has seen a deadlock for nearly two decades, the UN Chief said, "you have my firm commitment and assurance that I will work very hard to help the people of Myanmar [Burma] enjoy genuine freedom and democracy."
The global body chief said, he was committed to continue his efforts "through Mr. Gambari's process and if and when it is necessary, I am going to broaden and deepen this process in my dialogue with the Myanmar authorities."
Nyan Win said, "We are confident of their [UN] credibility and we believe they can do as we hope."
Despite the slow process, Nyan Win, said he and his party appreciated the effort taken by the world body and hoped things would change progressively.
The NLD, which won a landslide victory with over 80 per cent votes in the 1990 general election, has been reduced to a small office in Rangoon, while its leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest for over 12 of the past 18 years.
Contrary to the NLD's expectations over the UN Chief's statement, Larry Jagan, a journalist and a Burma affairs expert said the UN was impotent regarding dealing with the Burmese military junta, which has maintained an unbroken reign of over four decades, since 1962.
"The [Burmese] regime is not prepared to listen to the UN and is not prepared to listen to anybody else," Jagan said.
Jagan added that under such circumstances Mr Gambari and Ban Ki-moon had little credibility with the Junta, which "makes it difficult for the UN to have any role."
Despite visiting Burma thrice, Gambari, the UN undersecretary for political affairs has made little visible progress. In spite of his repeated demands, the junta in May, extended the house arrest of Burma's pro-democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
The junta also continued to implement its planned seven step roadmap to democracy, excluding all opposition groups despite Gambari and the UN's repeated suggestions to broaden and to make it an all inclusive process.
Jagan said, he doubted that the UN, in any case, could influence the Burmese government to implement the kind of political change that it perceived.
"In my view the UN have not, cannot, and will not influence the Regime," Jagan added.
But David Scott Mathieson, a Burma consultant at the Human Rights Watch, said the success of the UN's mission in Burma would largely depend on the support given by its member states.
Mathieson said, the UN so far has played a vital role in trying to bring change in Burma, but lacks the support of a few of its key members such as China and Russia.
"Other key members of the UN such as China and Russia need to support the effort of the World Body," Mathieson said.
In January 2007, China and Russia, both veto wielding countries at the UN Security Council, opposed a council resolution on Burma that called for greater human rights respect in that country.
The draft resolution was sponsored by the United States and endorsed by two other permanent council members – the United Kingdom and France. But, it failed to yield any result as Russia and China, which maintain a good business as well as military relationship, used its veto power to oppose it.
Mathieson said, while the UN was making the effort to convince the Burmese military junta, a united front among the members of the UN, particularly within the Security Council, was necessary to force the junta to implement change.
Editing by Mungpi
