U.N. Envoy's mission impossible

Larry Jagan
Mizzima News
February 22, 2008
The main problem for the U.N. envoy is that he is likely to only be given access to lower level officials.

"Than Shwe is still furious at Gambari because he smuggled out a letter from Aung San Suu Kyi [which he made public in Singapore on his way back to New York to report to the UN Secretary General] last time," the Chiang Mai-based Burmese academic Win Min told Mizzima.

"He didn't see Gambari then, and Than Shwe is even less inclined to meet him this time." This is something sources close to the U.N. envoy admit is almost certain to be the case again. It is even possible he will be denied access to Aung San Suu Kyi and the opposition.

"As long as Gambari is able to stress the international community's concerns to the generals – and Than Shwe hears it, even if its second hand -- that will be an important measure of whether this forthcoming trip is a success or not," a spokesman for the Burmese opposition abroad, Zin Linn told Mizzima................