National elections scheduled to be held in Burma later this year – the first in the country in two decades – must be “inclusive, participatory and transparent,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and a group of key nations said Thursday.
Such polls would help to “advance the prospects of stability, democracy and development for all the people of Burma,” Mr. Ban told reporters following a meeting of the so-called Group of Friends, which brings together more than one dozen nations and one regional bloc in support of greater dialogue in the Asian nation.
The Government, he said, must create the conditions to allow for free participation in the elections.
This includes the release of all political prisoners – including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi – and respect for fundamental freedoms, he added.
Ms. Suu Kyi, a pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was sentenced last August to an additional 18 months of house arrest, effectively barring her from taking part in the polls.
She was reportedly convicted of violating State security laws after an uninvited United States citizen gained access to her home.
