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The
ASEAN Foreign Ministers had a full and frank discussion on the situation
in
Myanmar
at their Informal meeting this morning in the UN and agreed for the Chair
to issue this Statement. They
were appalled to receive reports of automatic weapons being used and
demanded that the
Myanmar
government immediately desist from the use of violence against
demonstrators. They expressed
their revulsion to Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win over reports that
demonstrations in
Myanmar
are being suppressed by violent force and that there has been a number of
fatalities. They strongly
urged
Myanmar
to exercise utmost restraint and seek a political solution.
They called upon
Myanmar
to resume its efforts at national reconciliation with all parties
concerned, and work towards a peaceful transition to democracy.
The Ministers called for the release of all political detainees
including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers expressed their concern to Minster Nyan Win
that the developments in
Myanmar
had a serious impact on the reputation and credibility of ASEAN.
They noted that
Singapore
’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has spoken to his ASEAN counterparts
over the past day, and will be writing to Senior General Than Shwe.
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers gave their full support to the decision of UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to send Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari to
Myanmar
. They welcomed FM Nyan
Win’s assurance that a visa would be issued to Mr. Gambari in
Singapore
. They asked the
Myanmar
government to cooperate fully and work with him.
Mr. Gambari’s role as a neutral interlocutor among all parties
can help defuse the dangerous situation.
The Ministers urged the
Myanmar
government to grant him full access to all parties in
Myanmar
, as they had done in the past. END
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