United Nations, United States:
The UN General Assembly on Tuesday is set to take into account a draft non-binding resolution calling for “an immediate suspension” of the transfer of weapons to the military junta of Myanmar, a UN official mentioned Sunday.
Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are non-binding but carry sturdy political significance.
If an approval by consensus can’t be reached then the complete General Assembly — 193 member states — will vote on the measure.
Introduced by Liechtenstein, with assistance from the European Union, Britain, and the United States, the measure will be regarded as at the plenary meeting set for Tuesday at 1900 GMT.
The draft resolution calls for “an immediate suspension of the direct and indirect supply, sale, or transfer of all weapons, munitions, and other military-related equipment to Myanmar.”
“The meeting will be in person,” a UN spokesman told AFP.
The draft, which has been beneath negotiation for weeks, is co-sponsored by 48 nations, with South Korea the sole Asian nation.
It also calls on military to “end the state of emergency” and promptly cease “all violence against peaceful demonstrators,” as nicely as “immediately and unconditionally release President Win Myint, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi” and everybody who has been “arbitrarily detained, charged or arrested” given that the February 1 coup.
The draft adds a contact to “swiftly implement” a 5-point consensus reached with leaders from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on April 24, to “facilitate the visit” of the specific UN envoy to Myanmar, and to provide “safe and unimpeded humanitarian access.”
Several NGOs have lengthy been calling for an arms embargo on Myanmar.
Since February 1, the Security Council has unanimously adopted 4 statements on Myanmar, but every single time, they have been watered down in negotiations, notably by Beijing.
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