SYDNEY,
Oct 15: Eight countries and the EU diplomatic chief on Friday urged the
Myanmar junta to let a regional special envoy meet ousted civilian
leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The call comes as concerns grow over the
military government's commitment to a "five-point consensus" agreed with
regional bloc ASEAN to defuse the bloody crisis that erupted after
Myanmar's February 1 coup.
ASEAN foreign ministers are set to meet
virtually on Friday evening to debate whether to exclude Myanmar junta
chief Min Aung Hlaing from an upcoming summit over his government's
intransigence.
The military authorities have said they will not allow
ASEAN special envoy Erywan Yusof to meet anyone currently on trial,
which includes Suu Kyi.
In a joint statement, the US, Britain,
Australia, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, Norway and East Timor say
they are "deeply concerned about the dire situation in Myanmar" and
urged Naypyidaw to "engage constructively" with the special envoy.
"We
further call on the military to facilitate regular visits to Myanmar by
the ASEAN Special Envoy, and for him to be able to engage freely with
all stakeholders," said the statement, also endorsed by EU foreign
affairs chief Josep Borrell.
This last phrase is an apparent
reference to the junta refusing Yusof, who is also Brunei's second
foreign minister, access to Suu Kyi.
Rebuffing pressure from several
other ASEAN member states, the Myanmar foreign ministry on Thursday
insisted Yusof could not "go beyond the permission of existing laws" and
urged him to focus on meeting government officials instead.
International
pressure has so far had little impact on the junta, which launched a
brutal crackdown on protests against its power grab that has so far
killed nearly 1,200 civilians.
February's coup ended the country's
brief dalliance with democracy after decades of army rule, though the
army has pledged to hold elections by August 2023. -AF
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
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