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UN envoy Gambari to visit Myanmar for talks on democracy

Jan 26, 2009, 18:20 GMT

New York - The United Nations envoy for Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, will soon visit Myanmar to continue discussions on the democratic process in the Southeast Asian nation, a UN spokeswoman said Monday. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked Gambari to return to Myanmar and he has also received an invitation from the government in Yangon, according to spokeswoman Marie Okabe. 'The secretary general has expressed his expectations that progress is necessary on the issues that Mr Gambari raised with the government during his last visit,' Okabe said. One demand made by the UN is for the military government to hold talks with Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the main opposition National League for Democracy, who has been under house arrest for more than a decade. Other issues include release of all political prisoners and the democratization of government institutions. Gambari's visit in August 2008 proved a diplomatic disappointment as he was denied meetings with both junta chief Senior General Than Shwe and Suu Kyi. The UN has made little progress in pushing the junta towards freeing Suu Kyi and over 2,000 political prisoners and introducing democratic reforms.

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UN envoy Gambari to visit Myanmar for talks on democracy

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