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OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHGO #0407/01 1820742
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 010742Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY RANGOON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9188
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000407 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, INR/EAP 
PACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/25/2019 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR PHUM BM
SUBJECT: BURMA: UN DISCUSSES SYG BAN'S TENTATIVE AGENDA 
 
REF: A. RANGOON 404 
     ¶B. RANGOON 406 
 
RANGOON 00000407  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Economic Officer Samantha A. Carl-Yoder for Reasons 1.4 
(b and d). 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C)  According to UN officials in Rangoon, during UN 
Secretary General Ban Ki Moon's July 3-4 visit to Burma he is 
scheduled to travel to Nay Pyi Taw to meet with Senior 
General Than Shwe and other top GOB officials, cease fire 
groups, and political parties; visit several Cyclone-affected 
villages in the Irrawaddy Delta; and meet with the UN Country 
Team and staff in Rangoon.  Ban also plans to meet with 
"stakeholders" in Rangoon, including diplomats, NGOs, and 
donors, where he will give a speech on a topic to be 
determined.  The GOB has yet to grant Ban permission to meet 
with Aung San Suu Kyi, and it is not clear whether the 
National League for Democracy (NLD) will be included in the 
Nay Pyi Taw meetings or otherwise meet with Ban.  According 
to ILO Liaison Officer Steve Marshall, Ban will travel with a 
party of up to 30 individuals, including UN Special Envoy 
Gambari and eight international press.  End Summary. 
 
Tentative Schedule 
------------------ 
 
¶2.  (C)  UN Resident Coordinator Bishow Parajuli hosted a UN 
Country Team meeting on July 1 to discuss preparations for 
Secretary General Ban Ki Moon's July 3-4 visit to Burma. 
According to ILO Liaison Officer Steve Marshall, who 
attended, Ban will arrive from Singapore the morning of July 
3 accompanied by roughly 30 people, including UN Special 
Envoy Gambari and eight journalists.  UN Country Team members 
will meet Ban at the airport and will escort him to a holding 
room at the Sedona Hotel in Rangoon.  Marshall confirmed that 
Ban and his party will travel to Nay Pyi Taw on July 3 for 
the following meetings: 
 
-- Senior General Than Shwe (with other top GOB officials 
possibly in attendance); 
-- Representatives of cease fire groups (participants to be 
determined); 
-- Representatives of political parties (participants to be 
determined; and 
-- Members of the Tripartite Core Group, representing ASEAN, 
the UN, and the GOB. 
 
¶3.  (C)  Ban and his party will spend the night in Nay Pyi 
Taw, Marshall told us.  Parajuli and a local UN interpreter 
are scheduled to attend all meetings. 
 
¶4.  (C)  Ban plans to return to Rangoon the morning of July 
4, and will travel by helicopter to the Irrawaddy Delta to 
visit villages in several townships, Marshall noted.  While 
the GOB wants Ban to visit its model villages, the UN is 
pushing for Ban to see other affected villages that are "more 
realistic."  Journalists and four members of the UN Country 
Team are also invited to the Delta. 
 
¶5.  (C)  Ban will return to Rangoon on the afternoon of July 
4, and expects to hold meetings with UN Country Team members 
and UN Staff.  Ban has also requested to have a meeting with 
"stakeholders," including diplomats, donors, and NGO 
 
RANGOON 00000407  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
officials.  According to Marshall, this meeting may be open 
to the press, and Ban plans to make a public address 
(although the topic of this speech is unclear). 
 
¶6.  (C)  Ban currently plans to depart Rangoon on the 7:45pm 
Thai Airways flight.  Note: We are curious if Ban's schedule 
the early evening of July 4 will conflict with our 
Independence Day event which has nearly 500 acceptances.  We 
would happily have him add us to his schedule! 
 
Nothing Yet for ASSK or the NLD 
------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C)  Ban has requested a meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, 
but the GOB has not yet granted permission.  As of COB July 
1, the GOB also has not contacted the NLD about a meeting 
with Ban, though party leaders remain eager to see him. 
 
Objectives of the Visit 
----------------------- 
 
¶8.  (C)  According to Marshall, the SYG during his meetings 
with GOB officials will call for the release of political 
prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi; urge the government to 
resume dialogue with opposition groups (the UN only specified 
opposition groups, and made no reference to ethnic 
minorities); encourage the creation of conditions conducive 
for credible elections in 2010; and seek support for the 
continued provision of humanitarian assistance for Cyclone 
Nargis-affected areas. 
 
¶9.  (C)  Marshall believes that Gambari may return to Rangoon 
on July 2 to "firm up" Ban's schedule, but would depart the 
same day so he could return on July 3 as part of Ban's party. 
 
 
 
DINGER