US Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilz addresses a Security Council meeting February 18 at UN headquarters in New York. Western ambassadors on Tuesday voiced disappointment with the outcome of UN troubleshooter Ibrahim Gambari's latest mediation in Myanmar but vowed to keep the crisis in the Security Council's spotlight.
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Western ambassadors on Tuesday voiced disappointment with the outcome of UN troubleshooter Ibrahim Gambari's latest mediation in Myanmar but vowed to keep the crisis in the Security Council's spotlight."We are disappointed by the lack of any concrete achievement" during Gambari's last visit to Myanmar from March 6 to 9, US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters after council consultations on the issue.
"The (military) regime has not responded appropriately to Gambari's initiative," he added, describing as "flawed" plans by Myanmar authorities to to hold a referendum on a new constitution in May and multi-party elections in 2010.
His British counterpart, John Sawers, said Gambari gave a "not very encouraging briefing" on his latest mission to promote national reconciliation between Myanmar's government and the opposition led by democracy icon and Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
He said the world community's best tool to sway the ruling junta was "the power of persuasion" and keeping the issue "in the spotlight."
France's UN Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert expressed alarm that the draft constitution unveiled by Myanmar authorities contained provisions aimed at preventing Aung San Suu Kyi from running in the elections.
"That is not acceptable," he added.
But Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya, whose country is a major trade partner and arms supplier of Myanmar, insisted that Gambari's mission had achieved some progress.
"One can argue whether the glass is full or the glass is half full," he told reporters. "The situation (in Myanmar) now is better than last August and September" when the military junta crushed the biggest pro-democracy protests in nearly 20 years.
Gambari meanwhile said unity among the Security Council members was "the best way" to shore up his good offices mission.
"The United Nations is the only outsider to maintain access to both the government and Aung San Suu Kyi and to act as go-between between two," he earlier told the council.
"Encouraging the Myanmar authorities to reverse a policy mindset that has lasted this long can be challenging," he added. "But it is imperative that we continue to do so with persistence and patience, and with legitimate expectations of tangible results from the process of engagement."
On his third visit to Myanmar earlier this month, Gambari was rebuffed twice by the junta.
The ruling generals refused to amend the constitution and rejected an offer of UN technical assistance and foreign observers during the referendum.
At least 31 people died last September, according to the United Nations, although Human Rights Watch has put the toll at more than 100, and the world outcry was swift and unified -- a consensus that has since fractured.
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