Statement by

Ambassador Bui The Giang

Deputy Permanent Representative of Viet Nam

at the SC briefing on the Secretary-General’s visit to Myanmar

(13 July 2009)

 

Mr. President,

I wish to join other Council members in thanking the Secretary-General for his descriptive briefing on his Myanmar visit ten days ago. We are particularly appreciative of and grateful to the Secretary-General for personal efforts and commitment in making this visit given his very tight schedule. I also thank Ambassador U Than Swe, Permanent Representative of Myanmar, for his statement.

Mr. President,

It is our view that the visit was timely and necessary, given the overall situation in Myanmar at this juncture,. And in reality, it has further confirmed the role of the United Nations represented by the Secretary-General as a key mediator, as well as its commitment to helping the Government and people of Myanmar with a broad-based forward-looking package.

As we have learnt directly from the Secretary-General, all activities scheduled for the visit, except one, were realized. He had two meetings with Senior General Than Shwe and several meetings with high-level Government officials where he straightforwardly raised his views recommendations on the current situation. He also had frank exchange of views with leaders of 10 registered political parties, including a separate private meeting with NLD, and representatives of cease-fire groups. Especially, he met with and made public critical comments to a large audience comprising over 300 participants from NGOs, civil society groups and diplomatic corps, which is yet another sign of the Myanmar authorities’ continued respect for the Secretary-General and his opinion. We regret but understand, from the local legal perspective, the Secretary-General’s inability to meet Daw ASSK. We regard the Secretary-General’s meeting with Tripartite Core Group as very important, for it again gives added value to the successful cooperation between the United Nations, ASEAN and the Government of Myanmar.

Mr. President,

While sharing the common wish to see faster and more tangible progress in all fields of life in Myanmar, we take a positive note of the Myanmar Government’s decision to grant amnesty to prisoners and enable them to participate in next year’s elections, which we hope will be free, fair and inclusive, as a first concrete measure in follow-up on the Secretary-General’s visit. At the same time, taking into account of the complex situation of Myanmar being a country emerging from years of, and still suffering from, political tension, economic underdevelopment, and disastrous natural calamities, we believe the visit has proved to be a meaningful step in a process needed for Myanmar to become a peaceful, stable and prosperous country. In this process, it is the people of Myanmar who determine their own destiny. Assistance of the international community and the United Nations is extremely important and will be effective once it is based on engagement of and cooperation with the Government and people of Myanmar, as has been the case, particularly in the present context of the country’s 7-step roadmap toward democracy and national reconciliation.

Mr. President,

As expressed on many occasions, Viet Nam supports a comprehensive approach in helping address the root causes of the challenges Myanmar is facing, which lie in poverty and economic underdevelopment, and in this connection the establishment of the National Economic Forum with a focus on agriculture will be pivotal. For this to be materialized fruitfully, we believe United Nations agencies and donors should and could play a more active role.

Finally, Mr. President, as a country in the region with a high stake in seeing peace, stability and development promoted in Myanmar, we wish to reaffirm Viet Nam’s continued support for the Secretary-General’s good offices and all other efforts conducive to the national reconciliation and democratization process in this country. In ways that we deem appropriate and productive, we will continue to be a constructive part of this process.

I thank you, Mr. President.