UN envoy says Myanmar move significant

Proposals to hold a May constitutional referendum and general elections in 2010 represent significant steps forward for Myanmar, a U.N. diplomat said Tuesday.

Ibrahim Gambari, who was in Beijing for talks with Chinese officials, also said China can help by sending signals to Myanmar's leaders that they need to cooperate.

"This is a significant step as it marks the first time that we have an established time frame for the implementation of its political roadmap," said Gambari, the U.N.'s special envoy for Myanmar, also known as Burma.

Earlier this month, the Myanmar government announced it would hold a May referendum on a constitution written under military guidance and multiparty elections by 2010, the first specific dates for steps in an earlier-announced "roadmap to democracy."

The plans have been widely criticized for failing to include any input from Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, which complained Monday that the junta's recent moves toward reform were not enough.

Suu Kyi's party won general elections in 1990 but was not allowed to take power.

Gambari said he had not seen a draft of the constitution and that it was too soon to say if the United Nations would be involved in the referendum process.

However, he said Myanmar must create "an atmosphere conducive to credible elections," he said, adding that would include the release of political prisoners and relaxation of restrictions on Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest.

Gambari said he is not discouraged by the slow pace of discussions but that ultimately the U.N. wants "tangible results."

Gambari, who met earlier with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and other top officials, said he had held constructive and frank talks with China about the situation.

Praising Beijing for its role in mediating his access to Myanmar and its government, Gambari said China can help by sending signals to Myanmar's leaders that they need to cooperate.

China, along with other nations, can assist the U.N. mission by "sending the right message to authorities in Myanmar to continue to cooperate," he said. "This is not just an issue for the Chinese. This is an issue for the international community," he said.

The envoy said he expected to return to Myanmar "certainly well before April" to resume talks with the ruling junta.

In Beijing on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao repeated China's promises to play a constructive role in the mediation but said that dialogue, not international sanctions, would be key in finding a resolution.

"Pressure and sanctions at this time will not help solve the issue," he said.

China is a key stop on Gambari's sweep through the region because Beijing is an important trading partner and arms provider for the generals who run the country. He will also be heading to Indonesia, Singapore and Japan to urge those countries to support U.N. efforts with Myanmar.

China objects to Western criticisms of Myanmar's military regime, saying conditions in the country have improved dramatically since a violent crackdown on peaceful protests in September.

China has expressed little interest in seeing a democratically elected government take power on its southern flank and is reportedly seeking access to Myanmar's offshore natural gas deposits.

However, China has been credited with convincing Myanmar's generals to issue visas for Gambari to visit.