BURMA: UN DISCUSSES SYG BAN'S TENTATIVE AGENDA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000407 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS, INR/EAP PACOM FOR FPA E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/25/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR PHUM BM SUBJECT: BURMA: UN DISCUSSES SYG BAN'S TENTATIVE AGENDA REF: A. RANGOON 404 ¶B. RANGOON 406 RANGOON 00000407 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Economic Officer Samantha A. Carl-Yoder for Reasons 1.4 (b and d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) According to UN officials in Rangoon, during UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon's July 3-4 visit to Burma he is scheduled to travel to Nay Pyi Taw to meet with Senior General Than Shwe and other top GOB officials, cease fire groups, and political parties; visit several Cyclone-affected villages in the Irrawaddy Delta; and meet with the UN Country Team and staff in Rangoon. Ban also plans to meet with "stakeholders" in Rangoon, including diplomats, NGOs, and donors, where he will give a speech on a topic to be determined. The GOB has yet to grant Ban permission to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi, and it is not clear whether the National League for Democracy (NLD) will be included in the Nay Pyi Taw meetings or otherwise meet with Ban. According to ILO Liaison Officer Steve Marshall, Ban will travel with a party of up to 30 individuals, including UN Special Envoy Gambari and eight international press. End Summary. Tentative Schedule -------------- ¶2. (C) UN Resident Coordinator Bishow Parajuli hosted a UN Country Team meeting on July 1 to discuss preparations for Secretary General Ban Ki Moon's July 3-4 visit to Burma. According to ILO Liaison Officer Steve Marshall, who attended, Ban will arrive from Singapore the morning of July 3 accompanied by roughly 30 people, including UN Special Envoy Gambari and eight journalists. UN Country Team members will meet Ban at the airport and will escort him to a holding room at the Sedona Hotel in Rangoon. Marshall confirmed that Ban and his party will travel to Nay Pyi Taw on July 3 for the following meetings: -- Senior General Than Shwe (with other top GOB officials possibly in attendance); -- Representatives of cease fire groups (participants to be determined); -- Representatives of political parties (participants to be determined; and -- Members of the Tripartite Core Group, representing ASEAN, the UN, and the GOB. ¶3. (C) Ban and his party will spend the night in Nay Pyi Taw, Marshall told us. Parajuli and a local UN interpreter are scheduled to attend all meetings. ¶4. (C) Ban plans to return to Rangoon the morning of July 4, and will travel by helicopter to the Irrawaddy Delta to visit villages in several townships, Marshall noted. While the GOB wants Ban to visit its model villages, the UN is pushing for Ban to see other affected villages that are "more realistic." Journalists and four members of the UN Country Team are also invited to the Delta. ¶5. (C) Ban will return to Rangoon on the afternoon of July 4, and expects to hold meetings with UN Country Team members and UN Staff. Ban has also requested to have a meeting with "stakeholders," including diplomats, donors, and NGO RANGOON 00000407 002.2 OF 002 officials. According to Marshall, this meeting may be open to the press, and Ban plans to make a public address (although the topic of this speech is unclear). ¶6. (C) Ban currently plans to depart Rangoon on the 7:45pm Thai Airways flight. Note: We are curious if Ban's schedule the early evening of July 4 will conflict with our Independence Day event which has nearly 500 acceptances. We would happily have him add us to his schedule! Nothing Yet for ASSK or the NLD -------------- ¶7. (C) Ban has requested a meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, but the GOB has not yet granted permission. As of COB July 1, the GOB also has not contacted the NLD about a meeting with Ban, though party leaders remain eager to see him. Objectives of the Visit -------------- ¶8. (C) According to Marshall, the SYG during his meetings with GOB officials will call for the release of political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi; urge the government to resume dialogue with opposition groups (the UN only specified opposition groups, and made no reference to ethnic minorities); encourage the creation of conditions conducive for credible elections in 2010; and seek support for the continued provision of humanitarian assistance for Cyclone Nargis-affected areas. ¶9. (C) Marshall believes that Gambari may return to Rangoon on July 2 to "firm up" Ban's schedule, but would depart the same day so he could return on July 3 as part of Ban's party. DINGER