Naypyitaw: The UN Security Council has failed to agree on a joint statement condemning Monday’s coup in Myanmar.
The 15-member council was considering a UK-drafted statement that the United Nations’ envoy on Myanmar said should “collectively send a clear signal in support of democracy” in the country.
Though the closed-door meeting in response to the power grab and detention of the civilian government including the country’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi remained inconclusive diplomats said discussions would continue.
The Security Council is negotiating a possible statement, drafted by Britain, that would condemn the coup, call for the military to respect the rule of law and human rights and immediately release those unlawfully detained, diplomats said. Such statements have to be agreed by consensus.
Human rights groups condemned the failure of the council to take swift action.
Myanmar’s military has detained State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint in what appears to be the country’s first military coup since 1988 and the possible end to a decade of civilian rule.
The Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy, which came to power in 2015, won another landslide victory in the general election last November. The civilian government was moving into its second term, but the military has claimed the election was marred by fraud and demanded an investigation.
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