Indonesian diplomat on U.N. mission to Myanmar

Thursday August 18, 9:47 AM
Indonesian diplomat on U.N. mission to Myanmar

YANGON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Former Indonesian foreign minister and
veteran diplomat Ali Alatas is due to fly to Myanmar on Thursday as a
special envoy of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan to the
Yangon junta, a diplomatic source said.
"We understand he is scheduled to meet senior Myanmar leaders,
including Senior General Than Shwe, during his three day stay here,"
the diplomat from the Association of South East Asian Nations said.

"We're not sure whether he will touch on matters concerning Myanmar's
political problems," said the diplomat, who asked not to be named.

There is considerable speculation that Alatas, who made his first trip
as a U.N. envoy to Yangon in September 2003, might push for the junta
to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and revive talks with her
National League for Democracy (NLD).

"We just don't know whether he will see Aung San Suu Kyi or not, but we
think he will meet other NLD leaders," the ASEAN diplomat said.

Analysts say Alatas might also raise the issue of a possible visit to
Yangon by Annan himself later in the year, following reports that Than
Shwe had forwarded an invitation to the U.N. chief at an Asia-Africa
summit in Jakarta in April.

However, others see him achieving little after Foreign Minister Nyan
Win snubbed the U.N.'s permanent special envoy to Myanamr, Razali
Ismail, on the sidelines of an ASEAN ministerial meeting in Laos in
July.

Razali has not been allowed in to the former Burma, which has been
under military rule since 1962, since March 2004.

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