I have noticed that the United Nations Security Council issued a Presidential Statement on Myanmar on 11 October 2007. I heard that anti-government destructive element groups reported through foreign media that Myanmar would face difficulties and the UNSC would take action against her according to the statement. Internal axe-handlers relayed the broadcasts in order to cause concern and anxiety among the people through agitation and instigation. We will have to review the situation if Myanmar issue is a cause for concern.

Before we say about the Presidential Statement of the UNSC, we will have to study the Charter of the UN. In article 24 of Chapter 5, we find that under the Charter, the Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Regarding the article, the situation in Myanmar does not constitute a threat to the regional and international peace and security. It is obvious that there is no reason for the UNSC to take action against Myanmar. Those countries that tried to put Myanmar issue on the agenda of the UNSC understand the point. Frequent accusations have been made since 2006 that political situation in Myanmar, refugee and HIV and AIDS issues posed a threat to the regional and international peace and security.

Meanwhile, neighbouring countries and all ASEAN member nations said that Myanmar issue was not a threat to the regional and international peace and security. It is strange however, that the US which is far away from Myanmar insisted that our country was posing a threat. If human rights, refugees, narcotic drugs, HIV/AIDS issues had posed a threat to the regional and international peace, the SC would have to solve the problems of all the nations of the world. If so, the SC will have to handle the situation in Iraq where there are refugee, security and human rights issues because of the US invasion in Iraq. Similarly, the SC will take action against opium producing countries and HIV/AIDS infected countries.

There is a question about SC’s involvement in the Myanmar issue. Why does the SC get involved in Myanmar issue? In short, it is because of geopolitical situation in post-cold war period. After the Second World War, there was power balance between the two super powers under bi-polar system. But it changed under uni-polar system with the US as the sole super power. The US possesses diplomatic, economic and military powers. Making use of these powers, the US is capable of putting pressure or threatening or organizing big or small nations to make them dance to its tune. With the integration of situation dominated by a single nation and national interest of all nations, Myanmar issue was submitted to the UNSC. We watched and heard international news that some nations with positive attitudes and those that do not want the US hegemonism tried to stop the attempts of the US to pass a resolution instead of issuing a statement in the UNSC. They amended or deleted the terms that did not reflect the prevailing conditions of Myanmar and that unjustly put pressure on Myanmar. We found that the efforts of those nations were successful to some extent. On behalf of Myanmar people we thank them.

If UNSC has handled a situation in which such a presidential statement should not be issued, it is necessary to learn how much impact it has on Myanmar. Anti-government groups inside and outside the nation are making and exaggerating fabricated news to create public panic. They are spreading rumours and propaganda among the people to get more worried about the country’s situation and cast doubts about the future of the nation. However, there’s no need to worry about the statement if a thorough study is conducted.

According to the procedures and formalities of UNSC, presidential statement and resolution are different in nature. Resolution must be respected by all the UN members. Presidential statement is issued just for expressing UNSC’s attitude. Therefore, the shouts from the anti-government organizations and foreign media saying that action is to be taken against Myanmar are totally pointless.

Besides, foreign media are exaggerating the words included in the statement and making whatever comments they like about it. The fact the UNSC says in its statement that it is important to release political inmates and detainees as soon as possible has been exaggerated by saying Daw Suu Kyi and NLD leaders must be released at once. In reality, there is no one in Myanmar who is in prison for political reasons. There are only those against whom action has been taken in violation of the existing laws. That has been explained again and again by the government. Those who have been taken in custody for their involvement in the recent protests are being released after they have been interrogated. According to the sources dated 7-10-2007, out of the 2093 detainees, 389 monks and 1215 persons have been released. It is clear that the State itself is taking necessary measures as much as it can whether the UNSC says about the issue or not.

Similarly, it is said that UNSC has demanded the government to hold a tripartite dialogue with Daw Suu Kyi and national races. What it really says is that the government needs to pay attention to creating necessary conditions for a genuine dialogue with Daw Suu Kyi and all concerned parties and ethnic groups. Although foreign media are exaggerating the Myanmar issue, they have never mentioned about the point included in the statement that UNSC welcomes Myanmar’s public announcement in which the government will cooperate with the UN and a liaison officer has been appointed to contact Daw Suu Kyi.

Foreign media as well as the anti-government groups are also turning a blind eye to the two more important points. The first is that UNSC calls for cooperation of all concerned parties apart from the government in order to ease the tensions in Myanmar. And the second is that it calls on all concerned parties including the government to fully cooperate with Mr Gambari. These are far important points. This is because according to the past experiences, every time the government offered to forge national reconsolidation, the anti-government groups including NLD used to make use of the offer for political gains. Every time Daw Suu Kyi was released, she always took confrontational course and defied all orders. Even though the National Convention was convened so as to enable the people from political backgrounds to gather together, NLD walked out in the middle of the process. When the NC was reconvened in 2004, NLD was invited and its demands fulfilled. However, NLD members boycotted the National Convention assuming that the NC would not be convened without their participation.

Likewise, internal and external destructive elements perpetrated atrocities such as creating violent unrest and detonating bombs to undermine the process of the seven-point Road Map. Now, the United Nations Security Council pointed out that the government as well as those concerned are responsible for prevalence of peace and stability in the nation. It also expressed its wishes for other organizations concerned and individuals to cooperate with the government at a time when the latter is cooperating with Mr Gambari. It can be assumed that the UNSC has acknowledged the failure of the government in forging national reconsolidation under a string of pressures. Why did foreign media and the NLD fail to mention those important points? If one ponders it one will vividly see their intention.

Regarding the presidential statement of the UN Security Council the Announcement No 3/2007 of the government expresses the basic principle of the Foreign Policy of the Union of Myanmar to maintain friendly relations with all the countries in the region and in the world and to have close cooperation with the United Nations; this is an acknowledgement of the presidential statement of the UNSC to a certain extent. Practically, the national reconsolidation stated in the presidential statement of the UNSC is just a task being implemented by the Tatmadaw since its assumption of the State responsibilities. Consequently, the Tatmadaw has been able to make peace with 17 national race armed groups that had resorted to armed struggle line for years. And peace has prevailed along with unprecedented progress in the border areas where armed conflicts were quite common in the past.

Similarly, the UNSC also noted that the government is to create necessary conditions for a genuine dialogue. The relentless efforts of the Tatmadaw for national reconsolidation, community peace and tranquillity, prevalence of law and order and national development as well as human resources development are all meant for creating necessary conditions. Can there be a dialogue or national reconsolidation be built in the absence of peace and prevalence of law and order? Lessons can be drawn from the incidents of Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 18 September 1988, the Tatmadaw government has been striving for introducing democracy system and market-oriented economic system. It has been doing so not because of the pressures of international community, the UN or the UNSC resolution but according to the wishes of the people. Frankly speaking, it was only the Tatmadaw that granted the rights to political parties including the NLD with whom the US and Western countries are on friendly terms to form their parties.

The seven-step Road Map was laid down according to the demand of the nation’s prevailing situation. It was done so not by pressure of any other organization or country. The National Convention has already laid down fundamental principles and detailed basic principles for the writing of a new constitution. The mass rallies being held across the nation highlight the attitude of the entire people toward the forthcoming constitution.

However, the presidential statement of the UNSC on Myanmar affairs has emerged for various reasons. We are extremely grateful to friendly nations that stand by Myanmar amidst a series of restrictions and pressures.

There has been growing concern that the presidential statement might be detrimental to the process of the seven-step Road Map. We are confident that the presidential statement is not a matter of concern.

The government has already proclaimed that it will implement steadfastly the seven-step Road Map in accordance with the people’s desires. We will march on. There is no reason to change the course. We warmly welcome those who would join us with genuine goodwill. We will remove all the hindrances and obstacles that may lie ahead.