WASHINGTON — A day before the Burmese military junta announced electoral laws and plans about the general election later this year, Vijay Nambiar, a key confident of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is believed to have made an unannounced trip to Burma early this month.UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's chief of staff Vijay Nambiar speaking during a media conference in central Colombo in May, 2009. (Photo: Reuters)
A former Indian diplomat, Nambiar is the chef de cabinet of the secretary-general. After the departure of the UN Envoy for Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, in January, Nambiar was given the temporary charge to look after the good offices role of the secretary-general in Burma.
The secretive trip, which had been kept under wraps and out of the news media's eyes, is believed to have been undertaken to deliver a personal letter from Ban to Snr-Gen Than Shwe, authoritative sources told The Irrawaddy, adding that it was a day-long visit.
Officials who are familiar with the visit refused to divulge any details about the trip in terms of who he met and what issues were discussed.
Notably the UN has kept a low profile after the Obama administration engaged the junta in two rounds of direct talks late last year.
However, on March 8, talking to reporters at UN headquarters in New York, Ban said that he had written to the the junta's leader expressing his concern about the lack of progress in national reconciliation and also emphasizing the importance of the election which will be held this year to be credible, inclusive and transparent manner.
Meanwhile, sources said the Burmese military junta is understood to have “vetoed” the name of Noer Hassan Wirajuda, the former Indonesian foreign minister, as the new UN Envoy for Burma. Though the Burmese government did not give any reason for the rejection when it conveyed to the office of the secretary general that Wirajuda was “unacceptable,” it is believed that the rejection had to do with the Indonesia's pro-democracy stance.
It is well-known that Indonesia has repeatedly called for democratic reform in Burma.
Meanwhile, in a statement over the weekend, Ban reiterated his call for Burmese authorities to ensure that all citizens including Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners can freely participate in the electoral process.
The UN is studying Burma's new electoral laws. The indications available so far suggest that they do not measure up to the UN's or the international community’s expectations of what is needed for an inclusive political process.
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