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Burma Threatens to Expel Top UN Representative
By Yeni and Lalit K Jha November 3, 2007

Burma's ruling junta threatened to expel Charles Petrie, the UN Resident Coordinator in Burma, on the eve of the visit of the Special UN Envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari. Petrie, the UN humanitarian coordinator, traveled to Naypyidaw on Friday, Burma's new capital, to see government officials and was handed a letter as he was leaving the meeting. "The government of the Union of Myanmar [Burma] does not want Petrie to continue to serve in Myanmar, especially at this time when the cooperation between Myanmar and the United Nations is crucial," the letter said. The letter also accused Petrie of "acting beyond his capacity in issuing the statement." The "statement" referred to a press release by the UN Country Team—headed by Petrie—on the 62nd UN Day (October 24) which referred to socio-economic issues in the Burma. The statement urged the Naypyidaw government to listen to dissenting voices in Burma and warned of a "deteriorating humanitarian situation." The statement read, in part: "The average household is forced to spend almost three quarters of its budget on food, one in three children under five suffer from malnutrition and less than 50 percent of children are able to complete their primary education. It is estimated that close to 700,000 people each year suffer from malaria and 130,000 from tuberculosis. The UN agencies working in Myanmar [Burma] repeat their strong determination to help the country address poverty and suffering and their underlying causes." The statement said the recent demonstrations highlighted the fact that many of the Burmese people’s aspirations—for “development, prosperity, peace, security and dignity for all” —were not yet “a reality for all.” On October 25, the Burmese Foreign Ministry issued an angry reaction, saying the statement was "unprecedented" and "very negative," and it harmed Burma's image "despite its all-out cooperation with [the] UN." Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who met Gambari on Friday morning in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss his Burma trip, was quick to express his "disappointment" at the government's message and expressed "full confidence in the United Nations country team and its leadership," UN spokeswoman Michele Montas said at UN headquarters in New York. Montas said the UN has taken a very strong position on the issue and the matter would be raised by Gambari in his first meeting with Burmese officials. The United States also condemned the expulsion on Friday. "This outrageous action ... is an insult to the United Nations and the international community," Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, said in Washington. France's UN Ambassador, Jean-Maurice Ripert, called Burma's action regarding Petrie, who is French, "unacceptable." Singapore—currently the chair of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations—said on Saturday that it was deeply disappointed by Burma's move to expel the UN's top resident diplomat, ahead of a visit by UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari. "This announcement has come at a most inopportune time, just before the arrival of UNSG Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari," the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. "It also sends an inconsistent message about Myanmar's willingness to continue engaging the UN in improving its domestic political and socio-economic situation." Some analyst said that Burma’s threat to expel Petrie is most likely a diversionary tactic, by the regime, attempting to sidetrack Gambari's discussions with the junta.
“Burma’s generals will do anything to avoid being pressured into talks about genuine reform,” said Brad Adams, the Asia director for the New York-based pressure group Human Rights Watch. “But now the danger is that Gambari will spend his time talking about the UN’s role in Burma instead of the need to end the crackdown and bring real reform. Gambari should stick to his agenda instead of falling for such cheap ploys.” The junta's move on Petrie comes on the eve of a visit by Gambari, whose six-day trip is intended to support reconciliation between the junta and political opposition groups. Aye Win, the United Nations Information Center spokesman in Burma, said Gambari's visit—from November 3 to 8—would proceed as scheduled.

U.S. slams Myanmar's expulsion of diplomat
Published: Nov. 3, 2007 at 4:01 PM
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- The expulsion of a U.N. diplomat by officials in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has been condemned by the United States.The Independent said Saturday a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council called the expulsion of Myanmar's human rights representative "outrageous" and an open insult to the international group."This outrageous action ... is an insult to the United Nations and the international community," NSC spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Friday.The country's military junta took action this week against U.N. resident coordinator Charles Petrie prior to the arrival of a U.N. special envoy.That envoy had been set to improve relations between the Myanmar government and pro-democracy officials, along with urging for the release of detailed demonstrators.The Independent reported that following the unexpected expulsion, officials in Myanmar must allow the International Committee of the Red Cross into the troubled country immediately."The junta needs to allow the ICRC into the country, release political prisoners and stop detaining its citizens who are peacefully protesting the repressive regime," he said.