By LALIT K JHA
WASHINGTON—A day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reaffirmed America’s support for the UN Commission of Inquiry, the Obama Administration acknowledged on Friday that attitudes towards the commission differ among UN member countries.
At a press briefing on Oct. 29, US State Department spokesman, P J Crowley, told reporters that the US is consulting with countries on how to move forward with regard to establishing the UN Commission of Inquiry against the Burmese military junta.
“We understand that a range of countries have a variety of views of what’s happening in Burma. And some have expressed support for the committee of inquiry, and others are hesitating, and they could be hesitating for 25 different reasons,” Crowley said.
“There was a suggestion that they were being intimidated by one country. We don’t see it that way,” the State Department spokesman said in an apparent reference to a news report that China is aggressively lobbying at the UN headquarters in New York against such a UN Inquiry.
However, he refrained from giving details. “I can’t say what conversations have occurred at this point. We are consulting broadly. I’m not going to rule out that we’ve had a conversation with Chinese officials. I just don’t know,” he said.
“We do believe that looking ahead, people are going to see an unfortunate election in early November in Burma that lacks credibility, that cannot be viewed as free and fair,” he said.
“We believe that as we continue this discussion, we’ll come to a consensus with the international community on how to proceed in putting appropriate scrutiny on Burma for what’s happening within the country,” Crowley said.
The ongoing trip to the region by Clinton and the forthcoming Asia trip by US President Barack Obama for discussions with national leaders would be an important step forward in reaching a consensus on how to go ahead, officials said.
Meanwhile, the Georgetown Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND) group announced on Friday that it will ask students to vote in a mock midterm election on campus to compare midterm elections to be held in the United States on Nov. 2 to upcoming national elections in Burma on Monday, Nov. 7
STAND will publish the results of the mock midterm election as they actually are and then as they would be if they were held under the conditions of the Burmese elections.
WASHINGTON—A day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reaffirmed America’s support for the UN Commission of Inquiry, the Obama Administration acknowledged on Friday that attitudes towards the commission differ among UN member countries.
At a press briefing on Oct. 29, US State Department spokesman, P J Crowley, told reporters that the US is consulting with countries on how to move forward with regard to establishing the UN Commission of Inquiry against the Burmese military junta.
“We understand that a range of countries have a variety of views of what’s happening in Burma. And some have expressed support for the committee of inquiry, and others are hesitating, and they could be hesitating for 25 different reasons,” Crowley said.
“There was a suggestion that they were being intimidated by one country. We don’t see it that way,” the State Department spokesman said in an apparent reference to a news report that China is aggressively lobbying at the UN headquarters in New York against such a UN Inquiry.
However, he refrained from giving details. “I can’t say what conversations have occurred at this point. We are consulting broadly. I’m not going to rule out that we’ve had a conversation with Chinese officials. I just don’t know,” he said.
“We do believe that looking ahead, people are going to see an unfortunate election in early November in Burma that lacks credibility, that cannot be viewed as free and fair,” he said.
“We believe that as we continue this discussion, we’ll come to a consensus with the international community on how to proceed in putting appropriate scrutiny on Burma for what’s happening within the country,” Crowley said.
The ongoing trip to the region by Clinton and the forthcoming Asia trip by US President Barack Obama for discussions with national leaders would be an important step forward in reaching a consensus on how to go ahead, officials said.
Meanwhile, the Georgetown Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND) group announced on Friday that it will ask students to vote in a mock midterm election on campus to compare midterm elections to be held in the United States on Nov. 2 to upcoming national elections in Burma on Monday, Nov. 7
STAND will publish the results of the mock midterm election as they actually are and then as they would be if they were held under the conditions of the Burmese elections.
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