Burma Slaps on Asean Face

Source: The Nation

SINGAPORE--Burma slapped on Asean's face as the United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, invited by the host Singapore to the Asean summit, was not allowed to brief the leaders of the group and the East Asia Summit.

Burma's Prime Minister Thein Sein told the Asean leaders during a working dinner late Monday night before the summit that Gambari should only report to the UN Security Council and not to the Asean or the East Asia Summit.

The military government made clear to the Asean leaders that situation in the country was a domestic affair and that Burma was fully capable of handling the situation by itself.

Gambari had visited Burma four times, and that Burma had implemented many of his proposals, Thein Sein was quoted as saying to his colleagues.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the chair of group issued his urgent statement asking the military junta to continue cooperation with the UN envoy.

"The leaders noted that the recent visit by Professor Gambari had resulted in several steps in the right direction," he said in a written statement read to journalists after the dinner.

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