Vientiane, Laos, 29 November 2004 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo this evening confirmed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s statement that she urged Myanmar Prime Minister Soe Win “as an ASEAN neighbor and representative for ASEAN as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council,” that “it would be best for Daw Aung Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy to be represented in the political process.”

The Secretary stated that the President had a bilateral meeting with the Myanmar head of government earlier in the day, and one of the topics discussed was Myanmar’s efforts to pursue the so-called “Road Map to Democracy”.  President Macapagal-Arroyo herself revealed in an earlier press statement that the Prime Minister informed her of the holding of an “all-inclusive” national convention in February next year, and the subsequent drafting and passage of a new Constitution.

The Secretary added that during the informal working dinner of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers, he said that “the “all-inclusive” character of the convention next year should   include the participation of all parties, including the National League for Democracy and its leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.”

Secretary Romulo likewise confirmed that President Arroyo also relayed to the Prime Minister, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s desire that the UN’s Special Envoy on Myanmar be invited to visit the country once more.  END