UN envoy says incentives for Myanmar help break deadlock

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (AP): Incentives could be offered to Myanmar's military rulers in exchange for democratic reforms following a bloody crackdown that sparked international outrage, the U.N. envoy for the country said Thursday.

Ibrahim Gambari, who was visiting Indonesia on a six-nation tour to press Asia to help resolve the Myanmar crisis, also called on regional economic powerhouse China to "continue to do more to really move the authorities in Myanmar" along the path of change.

"We are going to continue to see China as an ally," he told reporters.

Gambari said one approach could be "a combination of strong encouragement of the authorities in Myanmar to do the right thing along with some incentives to say that ... the world is not there just to punish Myanmar."

He did not elaborate, but his remarks come as the EU and other countries are threatening to widen sanctions imposed on the country, suggesting a carrot-and-stick approach may be applied to the nation.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said this week that economic support could be given to Myanmar if it opens a dialogue with its opponents, including democracy leader laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Gambari met with junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe and Suu Kyi during a recent trip to Myanmar, but has so far failed to bring about a dialogue between the two sides. He is scheduled to revisit the country next month after first stopping in Japan, India andChina.