U.S. official asks Japan to urge Myanmar junta to use self-restraint

A U.S. State Department official on Wednesday asked Japan to conduct dialogue with Myanmar's military junta and work on it to use self-restraint.

''We hope that the Japanese government will reach out bilaterally to the government of Burma to press the government of Burma on the importance of respecting the right of the Burmese public to engage in peaceful protests,'' said Kristen Silverberg, assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs, during an interview with Kyodo News. ''The situation is very dangerous.''

The request follows Myanmar state television's report that a civilian was killed and three others injured in protests against the military government in Yangon.

Silverberg said Ibrahim Gambari, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon's special envoy on Myanmar, will head to Myanmar on Wednesday night.

Gambari will meet with both pro-democracy leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition National League for Democracy, and those of the military junta, to grasp the situation there, Silverberg said.

The U.N. Security Council will resume consultations on the issue possibly by the end of next week to consider responses to the Myanmar situation after obtaining a report from Gambari, she said.

One of the envoy's important missions is to convey a message from the United States and other countries to the junta that they should not use any force against demonstrators.

On Wednesday, the United States and the European Union said in a joint statement, ''We condemn all violence against peaceful demonstrators and remind the country's leaders of their personal responsibilities (for) their actions.

''We call on the Security Council to discuss this situation urgently and to consider further steps including sanctions,'' it said.

Noting a draft resolution on Myanmar has not been tabled at the Security Council, Silverberg said the council needs to ascertain the outcome of Gambari's visit to Myanmar and the military junta's response.

She called on Japan and India to use their influence on the Myanmar military government so that it will respond calmly to the current situation in Myanmar.