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Myanmar refused the U.N. human right officials
Myanmar''s military junta is kicking out the United Nations'' top resident diplomat for highlighting the country''s
deepening economic crisis, casting a shadow over a weekend visit by special envoy Ibrahim Gambari.
U.N. officials said on Friday that Charles Petrie had been summoned to the former Burma''s new capital, Naypyitaw, for an official dressing down for a statement he released on the Oct. 24 United Nations Day.
After the meeting, Petrie and his colleagues were given a letter saying the military government would not be renewing his credentials, which expire "pretty much now," a Yangon-based diplomat said.
"They were basically not very happy with the statement," one U.N. official told to the media in Bangkok. "The government has emphasized that they do not want him to continue to work in Myanmar."
In New York, the United Nations said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was disappointed with the junta''s move. Ban "has full confidence in the United Nations country team and its leadership," his spokeswoman, Michele Montas, said, adding that he endorsed the views in the statement issued by Petrie.
It was not known when Petrie would actually leave the country. Montas said Petrie would meet Gambari on his arrival on Saturday for a second visit since September''s bloody crackdown on monk-led pro-democracy protests. She said Ban asked Gambari to convey his views on Petrie''s expulsion to the government.
Reported by : MD MIR RAKIB-UN-NABY
Published: November 04, 2007
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