UN Ban Ki-Moon Telephone to U Wunna Maung Lwin, Foreign Minister of Myanmar

The Secretary-General talked today on the phone with H.E. U Wunna Maung Lwin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar. 

During the conversation, the Secretary-General underlined that he had publicly welcomed the reform measures announced by the new Government. He hoped that the government would now move toward concrete action and take the country forward towards peace, democracy and prosperity. 

The Secretary-General emphasized that the release of the remaining political prisoners was the single most important step the international community expected the Government to take. He called for early action in this regard. The Secretary-General expressed concern at the ongoing violence with some armed groups and the impact on the civilian population and urged the Government to resolve the situation peacefully. 

The Secretary-General welcomed the recent meeting between Daw Aung San Suu Kyii and Mr. Aung Kyi, Minister for Social Welfare, and the fact that she was able to engage in public activities beyond Yangon. He also encouraged the Government to engage broadly with the international community and to make use of the UN country team.

The Secretary-General looked forward to continuing his engagement with the Government of Myanmar at the forthcoming General Assembly session as well as at the next Summit of ASEAN in Bali.

link : http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=1894