UN chief of staff calls on Myanmar to free all political prisoners

Nov 28, 2010, 11:32 GMT

Yangon - The chief of staff of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday called for the release of all remaining political prisoners in Myanmar and a 'national dialogue' in the wake of the country's first general election in two decades.

Vijay Nambiar was in Myanmar over the weekend to assess the political climate after the country's ruling junta held a general election on November 7 and released opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from seven years of house detention a week later.

'The UN calls for the release of all remaining political prisoners,' Nambiar said in a statement he read before departing for Singapore.

He added that the UN wanted to see the government hold a 'national dialogue' with all the concerned parties in the post-election period.

Nambiar on Saturday held a 90-minute interview with Suu Kyi at her National League for Democracy (NLD) headquarters in Yangon.

'The conversation was very good,' Suu Kyi said. 'It was a valuable meeting. We heard the views of the UN secretary-general but one meeting is not enough. We need more meetings.'

Nambiar said Sunday the goal of his trip was to hold talks with all parties concerned, to encourage a national dialogue between the government and opposition groups and 'to reconfirm the UN's long term commitment to Myanmar.'

He said he wished to return to Myanmar in coming months.

Nambiar, who is also Ban's special envoy on Myanmar affairs, was the first senior UN official to meet with Suu Kyi since her release on November 13.

Ban and Western democracies have long been demanding the release of Suu Kyi and 2,100 other political prisoners languishing in Myanmar jails for years.

Her release came a week after Myanmar held a general election for the first time in two decades.

The balloting was dominated by the pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Party, but the military-staged exercise has been widely criticized by Western democracies as a sham.

Observers said they believe Suu Kyi's release was designed to deflect international criticism from the fraudulent electoral process and calm public outrage in Myanmar.

Suu Kyi is hoping the UN will pressure the regime to hold a dialogue with her and other opposition groups before lifting economic sanctions.

Her NLD was excluded from the election by regulations imposed by the military shortly before the vote.

Myanmar has been ruled by military dictatorships since 1962. The previous general election of 1990 was won by the NLD, but its elected lawmakers were blocked from assuming office.

Read more about Myanmar Diplomacy

Read more about UN