Rohingya people

الخميس أكتوبر 11, 2018 8:59 pm

Before the meeting, Amnesty International called for an arms embargo on Myanmar. The group says Myanmar has torched entire villages inside Rakhine State and fired on people trying to flee.

Myanmar issued an invitation to the UN Secretary-General to come visit the country in the "near future." The UN said that it's studying the offer.

The Myanmar envoy also said diplomats accompanied by media will visit northern Rakhine state on Monday.

The UN does not have its own army, and it has gotten nowhere with pleas for diplomacy. A UN team set to tour Rakhine state on Thursday found its trip cancelled -- due to the weather, according to Myanmar.

Guterres: 'End the military operations'

The UN Secretary-General proposed three things for the Myanmar government to do.

"First, end the military operations," Guterres said. "Second, allow unfettered access for humanitarian support. And third, to ensure the safe voluntary and sustainable return of the refugees to their areas of origin."

Japan's UN Ambassador Koro Bessho strongly condemned the attacks on civilians and said his nation was deeply disturbed at reports of killings.

Myanmar's special envoy told the Council the country realizes the humanitarian situation needs to be addressed. He said thousands fled because of fear due to terrorism, and that Myanmar is cooperating with the Red Cross.

The UN Secretary-General warned that "we should not be surprised if decades of discrimination and double standards in treatment of the Rohingya create an opening for radicalization."

China, a neighbor of Myanmar and Bangladesh where hundreds of thousands have fled, said "there is no quick fix" to the conflict.

Diplomats say they want a political dialogue to start. The Council plans to hear from former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who chaired a commission on Myanmar packed with recommendations, next week.

Swedish UN Ambassador Olof Skoog said the Annan report "provides the way forward," as he urged the Myanmar government to take responsibility to bring an end to the conflict once and for all."