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UNITED NATIONS: Myanmar's prime minister told the UN General Assembly on Monday that Western economic sanctions against his country were politically motivated and should be lifted.
"Some powerful nations have been resorting to economic sanctions to pressure developing countries," General Thein Sein said.
"Sanctions are being employed as a political tool against Myanmar and we consider them unjust," he said. "Such acts must be stopped."
The United States and the European Union slapped sanctions on Myanmar to protest the continued detention of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and the ruling junta's refusal to recognise her National League for Democracy's victory in the country's last polls in 1990.
Western sanctions were stepped up after the junta crushed protests led by Buddhist monks two years ago. At least 31 people were killed in the crackdown.
Thein Sein, the highest-ranking Myanmar official to address the General Assembly in 14 years, told the 192-member assembly that the Western sanctions were "indiscriminate" and "cannot legitimately be regarded as a tool to promote human rights and democracy."
Last week, it was announced that Suu Kyi wrote to the leader of Myanmar's military regime Than Shwe, offering suggestions about how to get Western sanctions lifted after years of espousing punitive measures against the ruling generals.
In his speech, Thein Sein made no direct mention of the fate of Suu Kyi.
"The transition to democracy is proceeding. Our focus is not on the narrow interest of individuals, organisations or parties but on the larger interest of the entire people of the nation," he said.
He urged all Myanmar citizens "whether they agree with us or not, to actively participate in the process without losing sight of the democratic goal."
Suu Kyi's house arrest was extended by 18 months in August after she was convicted over an incident in May in which an American man swam uninvited to the lakeside house where she is detained.
She has appealed the sentence, which effectively sidelines her for the elections and drew international condemnation. A verdict is expected in October.
Thein Sein also said his government was taking "systematic steps to hold free and fair elections" next year and that the 7,114 prisoners released under an amnesty earlier this month "will be able to participate" in next year's polls.
Critics say the polls are a sham that the military regime is bent on using to legitimise its hold on power. Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962.
Meanwhile, UN chief Ban Ki-moon met with Thein Sein on Monday and made clear that "the onus was on the (Myanmar) government to create the necessary conditions for credible and inclusive elections, including the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners, as well as dialogue with all stakeholders," a UN statement said.
The statement said Ban also reiterated his intention to work with the government and people of Myanmar "to address the political, humanitarian and development challenges" facing the southeast Asian country. - AFP/de
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