United States will invite ‘non-political’ Myanmar representative to summit

A spokesman for the US State Department announced yesterday that the United States supports ASEAN’s decision to invite a ‘non-political’ representative from Myanmar’s junta-ruled government to a summit in Washington this month. The spokesman said that it too will invite a ‘non-political’ representative from Myanmar, in order to hold the country accountable for not following a consensus about human rights and ending violence in the country.

“The regime has failed to make meaningful progress on ASEAN’s five-point consensus and should be held accountable”.

The five-point consensus by ASEAN demands that Myanmar halt violence from all parties and use constructive dialogue to seek peace. It also said that a special envoy of the ASEAN chair should facilitate the mediation process, with help from the ASEAN secretary-general. Last year, ASEAN blocked the junta from key meetings when it failed to honour the consensus.

The spokesman didn’t respond to a question on who the representative might be.

SOURCE: Channel News Asia | Channel News Asia