Burma: UN Security Council convenes emergency meeting on Tuesday

United Nations | The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday morning on the situation in Burma, indicating the working program of the organization’s current British presidency, which was approved by its members on Monday.

Also read: Burma, a fragile democracy overthrown by the military

Also read: International indictments following the uprising in Burma

Also read: Rebellion in Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi arrested

This meeting, via videoconference, takes place on camera, directing the program. According to the UN, UN Ambassador to this country Swiss Kristin Schrner Bergener should present the latest developments.

The UK has long planned a Security Council meeting on Burma, to be held in public on Thursday and followed by closed consultations. Due to the military coup on Monday, the meeting was turned into an emergency meeting and was only held behind closed doors.

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When asked at his daily press conference on what is expected from the Security Council, UN spokesman Stefan Dujarric said it was “important that the international community speak with one voice” on the latest developments in Burma.

At a press conference presenting the council’s program in February, British Ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward said she wanted to have as “a constructive discussion on Burma as possible and consider a series of actions with the United Nations. The people expressed during the vote and released civil society leaders.”

“We want to look at the steps that are taking us towards these goals,” she said.

When asked if she was thinking about sanctions, the British diplomat said that at this stage “there should be no specific thoughts on actions”. “Our goal is to restore democracy and release prisoners early and see an end to the uprising,” she stressed.

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Biden calls on the military to restore power, and talks about a return to sanctions

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday called on the Burmese military to return to power “immediately”, threatening to re-impose sanctions lifted over the past decade.

“The international community must speak with one voice to demand the immediate handover of power to the Burmese army,” Biden said after the military-led uprising, which led to the arrest of the staff. The civilian government is actually Aung San Suu Kyi.

The White House tenant announced an “immediate” review of sanctions lifted due to “progress towards democracy” and spoke of the need to take “appropriate action”.

“The United States stands where democracy is under attack,” Biden concluded.

Burma emerged just 10 years ago from a military regime that had been in power for nearly half a century.

To justify this uprising, many foreign capitals immediately condemned the military assurances that the November legislative elections had been marred by “enormous manipulations”, which the Electoral Commission denied.

The election was won by the National League for Democracy (LND), Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, which has been in power since the 2015 election.