Malaysian minister meets Myanmar counterpart from shadow govt
Sign up now: Get insights on the biggest stories in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR • Malaysia's Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah has met his counterpart from Myanmar's National Unity Government (NUG), a shadow administration outlawed by the ruling military junta, in the group's first open engagement with a South-east Asian country.
The meeting, disclosed by Datuk Seri Saifuddin in a Twitter post on Saturday, was held on the sidelines of a two-day summit in Washington between the United States and the 10-member Asean, which excluded Myanmar's leader over a military coup last year.
Myanmar has repeatedly called on countries not to engage with the NUG, a group of members from the ousted administration.
In his Twitter post, Mr Saifuddin said Malaysia "stands ready to work towards restoring peace and democracy in Myanmar".
On his informal meeting with NUG Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung, he said: "We took the opportunity to exchange views on latest developments in Myanmar, where Minister Zin shared insights as well as challenges faced by NUG, including humanitarian assistance, technical training and education for the Myanmar refugees."
A spokesman for Myanmar's military rulers did not respond to calls seeking comment on the meeting. However, the Foreign Ministry, in a statement, denounced reports of engagements in Washington between the US State Department and NUG officials, and said it had sent protest notes to all Asean countries and the US asking them to refrain from talking to the opposition government.
The ministry also said it rejected a paragraph contained in a 28-page joint statement released by the US and Asean which called for the timely implementation of a five-point peace plan agreed to by Myanmar.
The ministry said the language used in the paragraph suggested interference in Myanmar's domestic affairs and included references to matters within its sovereign jurisdiction, "including unacceptable proposals that go beyond the Five Point Consensus".
Last Friday, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said she had met Ms Zin Mar Aung "to show support for all working to restore Burma's path to inclusive democracy", using the former name for Myanmar.
REUTERS
