Talks with Suu Kyi may collapse

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE, MAY 6. The seven-month-old secret dialogue between Myanmar's military Government and the pro-democracy leader, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, is on the verge of breaking down, the Far Eastern Economic Review reported in its latest issue.

``The junta has deferred numerous requests by United Nations special envoy Razali Ismail - the main catalyst behind the talks - to revisit Burma (Myanmar). Suu Kyi, under virtual house arrest, is said by a source close to Razali to be increasingly frustrated with the secrecy and isolation of the talks...'' the magazine claimed.

Another report from Yangon today stated that the secret talks between the junta and Ms. Suu Kyi were in jeopardy as dissenting factions within the military are wary of the prospects of far- reaching reforms.

Last week, Myanmar's Foreign Minister, Mr. U. Win Aung, told reporters in Yangon that the talks were still on track.

``We are not playing games for the sake of the media... this is not a public relations stunt... But we hope that this process, which is very complex and delicate, should be left at a distance right now because the freedom of the country depends on this,'' he was quoted as saying.

``There is no set time for the dialogue or peace process in Northern Ireland, or in Sri Lanka or the Middle East... This is also not a process where you can start a countdown. This is timeless,'' the Foreign Minister was quoted as saying.

According to the Review article, the opacity surrounding the talks was working to the military junta's advantage.

The ``cautious optimism'' with which the international community greeted the talks is beginning to break down.

``Until April, many in the region - most significantly Japan - had tacitly supported Western-led isolation of the junta as a concerted protest against the regime's abysmal democratic credentials... but in early April, Japan broke ranks with a Western-led 12-year ban on non-humanitarian assistance to Burma (Myanmar) by quietly agreeing to provide a Yen 3.5 billions ($28 millions) aid package to rehabilitate a hydroelectric dam as a direct reward for the talks...''

The Review claimed that the sun was setting on the talks. ``So far, Suu Kyi has remained silent as the talks stall and her negotiating leverage slides. In part that's because she desperately wants the release from prison of her political supporters... with more regional support for the junta in the pipeline, the incentive for the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) is waning.''

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Section  : International
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