UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon made a landmark visit to a fast-changing Burma yesterday to encourage its government to carry out more democratic reforms and shore up peace deals with ethnic rebel groups.
Mr Ban’s trip was his first since a reformist, quasi-civilian government took office a year ago, ending five decades of authoritarian military rule and frosty and frustrating ties with the international community. His trip coincides with a visit by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to open a “new chapter” of relations as European firms seek a share of Burma’s vast untapped natural resources.
Burma, still led by remnants of the former junta, has stunned the outside world with economic reforms and unprecedented engagement with the West, political opposition and ethnic minority rebel groups.
Mr Ban said this was encouraging, but still not enough. “We see Myanmar is reopening to the world,” he said earlier in New York, adding that “the fresh start is still fragile”.
Mr Ban will see a country that has undergone astonishing changes since his last visit in July 2009. At that time Aung San Suu Kyi was in detention. Her National League for Democracy party was due to make its debut in parliament last week after its election win on April 1st, but it is refusing to take its seat because of a dispute over the wording of a swearing-in oath. – (Reuters)