Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: A top United Nations committee has once again blocked the Myanmar military from taking the country’s seat at the UN, as per diplomats and Myanmar rights groups.
The UN General Assembly’s credentials committee met on Monday and deferred action on the junta’s request to take over the seat, the Associated Press news agency reported while citing two diplomats.
The Myanmar Accountability Project (MAP), a human rights NGO, said in a statement that it was also informed by diplomats that the committee had rejected the military’s’ bid for representation. MAP Director Chris Gunness said the committee’s action was an important move having great diplomatic and symbolic significance, at a time when the illegal coup leaders were trying to grab international recognition.
A formal announcement of the decision is expected on Friday which means that Kyaw Moe Tun, who was appointed Myanmar’s UN ambassador by the former government of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, will continue to hold the post.
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UN’s credentials committee and Russia-Myanmar ties
The UN’s Credentials Committee constitutes nine member states including China, Russia and the United States, and had met against a backdrop of the rising geopolitical tensions over the war in Ukraine.
Myanmar military has forged a deepening relationship with Moscow and was pushing for its candidate to take over the seat from Kyaw Moe Tun, which had raised concerns that an increasingly isolated Russia might block any decision in favour of Kyaw Moe Tun.
