New Delhi (Mizzima) – Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and a government representative, Minister Aung Kyi, on Friday agreed in a four-point statement to avoid conflicting views and to work on a reciprocal basis.
It was the second meeting this year between the minister and Suu Kyi at a government guesthouse in Rangoon.
The meeting lasted 50 minutes. After the meeting, Aung Kyi read a joint statement to reporters.
Responding to a reporter’s question on whether there had been real progress in the meetings, Suu Kyi said, “If there is cooperation, there must be progress in ethnic affairs and all other things including the media.”
Responding to an open letter sent by Suu Kyi to the newly formed government and ethnic armed groups calling for a nationwide cease-fire, Aung Kyi said, “This is one of the agendas under our cooperation.”
He said, “Cooperation is badly needed in our country, and it is a major issue. If we can resolve this issue, other issues will be resolved more easily.”
Aung Kyi is the minister of social welfare, relief and resettlement. He and democratic opposition leader Suu Kyi met previously on July 25. At that meeting, both sides said their talks were productive, but they did not disclose details of the meeting.
Three days after that meeting, Suu Kyi issued an open letter calling for peace between the government and ethnic armed groups. Similarly, she issued a statement on Thursday expressing her concerns over the building of Myitsone Dam on the Irrawaddy River in eastern Burma.
Burma observers said it is apparent that the government has made a decision to reach out to Suu Kyi in an effort to use her influence and prestige in connection with serious issues that face Burma, including poverty, a civil war, a stagnant economy, currency concerns, the environment and other matters.
On the other hand, some observers said the government might be trying to compromise Suu Kyi’s autonomy and soften her criticism of the government and the former military leadership.
Currently, Burma is seeking the chair of Asean for 2014 even as there are calls from the international community for a UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against the former military regime.
Among the concerns that Suu Kyi has repeatedly addressed is the immediate release of all political prisoners in Burmese jails, which now number more than 2,000 prisoners.
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