Myanmar
of
Nambiar
Excludes
Kachin
Independence
Org, Than Shwe
Ally
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 24,
updated -- As
Myanmar's
government is
praised by the
UN
of Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon and
his envoy
Vijay Nambiar
and
others in the
international
community, one
of the
conflicts
there
that is not
improving is
with the
Kachin
Independence
Organization.
When
Nambiar
held a rare
press
conference in
New York on
Friday, Inner
City Press
asked him if
during his
recent trip to
Myanmar he met
with
the KIO or
even the
government
official who
deal with the
KIO, Aung
Thaung, who is
close to Than
Shwe. Video
here, from
Minute 18:15.
Nambiar
acknowledged
that he had
not met with
the KIO. He
said that
other agencies
in the
UN,
particularly
UNHCR, deal
with them,
mostly about
"humanitarian"
issues.
Recently, he
said, the
government
"relented" and
said that
while they
will send
government
material along
with UN aid,
if "the
rebels" reject
the government
material at
"the
border," the
UN's can
continue.
But
in
terms of UN
agencies, it's
said that the
Myanmar head
of office
for OCHA
Barbara Manzi
did not
provide
comment on
Kachin aid
issues,
not only to
Myanmar exile
media, but
even to the
government
licenced Myanmar
Times. The
UN is "all
in," it seems.
Nambiar in
shades with
ASSK, Kachin
and KIO not
shown
In
other
reaction,
while Nambiar
said that
railway
minister Aung
Min and
the other
government
people seem to
think that
they can
deliver on
promises to
the rebels
groups, Aung
Min's
ceasefire with
the SSA
South in Shan
state is
already
starting to
unravel.
Fighting broke
out between
the SSA and
the government
on Friday and
people reportedly
died
despite the
ceasefire
The
ceasefire
also recently
negotiated
with a
breakaway
faction of the
DKBA also reportedly
broke down on
Thursday
Even
the
ceasefire with
KNU seems on
hold depending
on if the
government
withdraws
troops from
Karen areas.
But after the
government
signed
the ceasefire
they
reportedly
sent more
troops to
Karen areas,
so the KNU is
again pushing
for the troops
to be
withdrawn
And
what
does Nambiar
say?
As
Nambiar
began his
press
conference,
Ban Ki-moon's
deputy
spokesman
Eduardo Del
Buey said
pointedly he
would answer
questions on
Myanmar
only. Video
here at
Minute 0:30.
Nevertheless,
Inner City
Press
asked Nambiar
to explain his
role in the
white flag
killings of
surrenderees
described in
Ban's Panel of
Experts report
on Sri Lanka.
Del Buey
insisted,
Nambiar will
only answer
about Myanmar.
But we
have a second
story, gleaned
after the
Myanmar
briefing -- click
here and
watch this
site.
, 
