Junta Leader Won’t Answer My Calls: Ban Ki-moon

UN Sec-Gen Ban Ki-moon said on Monday all his efforts to speak to Burma’s junta leader, Sen-Gen Than Shwe, on the telephone have failed.

"Over the weekend and throughout much of last week, I tried repeatedly to telephone Sen-Gen Than Shwe. I wanted to ask for his cooperation with the international community and offer the United Nations' full support," Ban said at a press conference in New York.

UN Sec-Gen Ban Ki-moon

Visibly disappointed, Ban said: "I was not able to reach him and so delivered a letter earlier this morning through diplomatic channels." This was his second letter since Cyclone Nargis hit the Irrawaddy delta on May 3. He has yet to receive an answer to the first letter.

Diplomatic sources told The Irrawaddy that every time an attempt is made from the office of the UN secretary-general to make a telephone call to Than Shwe, Burmese officials respond that they are unable to connect due to technical difficulties, an excuse that is very hard to believe.

In fact, this is likely to be a rare event, when the head of a government has refused to speak to a UN secretary-general who is elected by more than 190 UN-member nations, of which Burma is a member.

Even then, most of the statements coming from the UN and its many agencies appear to be geared towards appeasing the junta’s leader, who has ordered his regime not to cooperate fully with the UN and many other foreign aid groups.

Governments and aid agencies have struggled this week to gain more access to Rangoon and the Irrawaddy delta in an effort to save lives and provide assistance to survivors of the cyclone that struck the country 11 days ago. Little aid has reached the areas most in need.

"We see some encouraging signs,” Ban said. “Many airlifts of aid arrived over the weekend and earlier today. The (Burmese) government has made some initial moves to ease access restrictions. I would repeat, however: much more is needed."

Ban appeared frustrated over the "unacceptably" slow response from the junta, urging it to respond to the calls of the international community and not to see the humanitarian effort as politics.

"I emphasize that this is not about politics,” he said. “It is about saving people's lives.  There is absolutely no more time to lose."

Ban acknowledged that there has been a difference of opinion within the Security Council over Burma’s response.

"I leave it to members of the Security Council to decide among themselves … . I am focusing on delivering humanitarian assistance to minimize as much as possible the unnecessary sacrifices on the part of the Myanmar [Burmese] people," he said.

"I hope the government will move quickly to expedite visas for relief personnel. Much needs to be done, immediately, to set up major logistics operations to deliver supplies to the most affected areas. Myanmar cannot do it alone."

He said the UN and its agencies are positioned to help the people in distress. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, as well as many national and international NGOs, are heavily engaged as well, and they, too, need greater access and freedom of movement, he said.