Daily US Times: The United Nations has issued a rare arms embargo to Myanmar in response to violent military coup that took place this year.
The General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning Myanmar’s military, which overthrew the country’s elected government in February.
The UN also called for the release of political detainees in the country, such as elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and an end to violence against peaceful protesters.
The arms embargo resolution is politically significant while not legally binding.
UN special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, told the General Assembly: “The risk of a large-scale civil war is real. Time is of the essence. The opportunity to reverse the military takeover is narrowing.”
It was supported by 119 countries, with only exception was Belarus, which vote against it.
Another 36 countries abstained, including China and Russia – the Myanmar military’s two biggest arms suppliers.
Some of the abstainers said the crisis in Myanmar was an internal issue for the country, while others said the resolution didn’t address a brutal military crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim population four years ago, which forced almost a million people to flee the country.
Olof Skoog, the EU’s UN ambassador, said the resolution “delegitimises the military junta, condemns its abuse and violence against its own people, and demonstrates its isolation in the eyes of the world”.
Kyaw Moe Tun, But Myanmar’s UN ambassador, who represents the country’s elected civilian government, said he was disappointed by how long it took for the General Assembly to pass what he called a “watered down” resolution.
You may read: Kim Jong-un prepares for ‘dialogue and confrontation’ with the US
