US pushes for UN resolution on Myanmar repression

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 12: The UN Security Council was expected to vote today on a US-drafted resolution calling on Myanmar to stop persecution and release political prisoners but Russia and China may veto the measure.

The United States, which softened the draft from the original, put it on the agenda for today afternoon, backed by about nine of the 15 nations on the council. But among the other six are Russia and China, permanent members with veto rights, who could vote ''no'' and kill the measure.

''I know there are a number of negative votes including some permanent members,'' China's UN ambassador Wang Guangya told a small group of reporters yesterday. But he said he was still awaiting instructions from Beijing.

At issue is whether rights violations in Myanmar are a danger to peace and security in the region, the council's mandate. Otherwise, the repression of opposition and minority groups by the Southeast Asian nation's military junta is an issue for the General Assembly, which has condemned Myanmar.

A council resolution carries more weight than one by the assembly and could lead to punitive measures, such as international sanctions.

''We think that it is not an appropriate issue to discuss in the Security Council,'' Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said earlier in the week. South Africa and Indonesia are also among the countries opposing the resolution.

But the United States argues that a million Burmese refugees were living abroad and that the junta had not done enough to curb the trafficking of people and of narcotics, or the transmission of contagious diseases in the region.

The latest draft calls on Myanmar, formerly Burma, to stop military attacks against ethnic minorities ''including widespread rape and other forms of sexual violence.'' It asks the government to allow international humanitarian organizations ''to operate without restrictions'' and cooperate with the International Labor Organization to eradicate forced labor.

The military has run Myanmar since 1962, ignoring a 1990 landslide election victory by the National League for Democracy party led by Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, who has been in prison or under house arrest since then. Thousands of her supporters have been jailed.

The resolution calls for the release of Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners and allow her party and all groups to operate freely and says Myanmar should begin ''without delay'' a political dialogue that would ''lead to a genuine democratic transition.'' The earlier draft expressed grave concern ''that the overall situation in Myanmar has deteriorated and poses serious risks to peace and security in the region.''

Reuters