UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to visit Myanmar in July

Jun 17, 2009, 11:12 GMT

    Yangon - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to visit Myanmar in early July to promote democratization in the country ruled by a military junta, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.

   'So far as we know, the Myanmar government has generally accepted a request by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his visit is highly possible in earlier July,' said an Asian diplomat, who asked to remain anonymous.

   'I heard that his visit is likely to be in first week of July,' a government official said, who also requested anonymity.

   Ban told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York on June 11 that he was ready to visit Myanmar and was working on the matter.

   'Promoting democratization, including the release of Daw (Mrs) Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, has been one of my top priorities and it will continue to be my top priority,' Ban said then. 'When the time is appropriate and conditions are ripe, as I said many times, I'm ready to visit Myanmar. I'm working on that now.'

   His visit could prove pivotal to Myanmar's future democratization process, observers said.

   The ruling junta has scheduled a general election in 2010, the first since 1990, but has meanwhile put opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on trial for breaking the terms of her house detention last month by allowing an American to swim into her lakeside home-cum-prison.

   If found guilty, Suu Kyi may face a five-year prison term, preventing her from participating in the election process.

   Her National League for Democracy party, which won the 1990 polls, has vowed not to enter the 2010 election unless Suu Kyi is freed and steps are taken to amend the military-drafted 2008 constitution that essentially cements the generals' control over any future elected government.