The UN Security Council on Tuesday began an emergency meeting on Myanmar during which it will discuss a draft text calling for a return to civilian power following the country’s military coup.
Myanmar’s military seized power on Monday in a bloodless coup and detained democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other top politicians, which sparked an international outcry.
The behind-closed-doors discussions, held by video conference, started at 10:00 am in New York (1500 GMT) and was expected to last two hours, AFP reports.
The text, drafted by Britain calls for Myanmar’s military to
“immediately release those unlawfully detained.”
It would also call for the one-year state of emergency to be repealed and “for all sides to adhere to democratic norms.” The draft does not mention sanctions.
To be adopted, it requires the support of China, Myanmar’s main supporter at the UN and a veto power as a permanent member of the Security Council.
Swiss diplomat Christine Schraner Burgener, the United Nations’ envoy to Myanmar, was to brief the 15-member council on the latest developments at the meeting.
China had called for the discussion to take place in private, AFP says.
