The United States is calling on Myanmar's military to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on implementing the five-point consensus program, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2021) The United States is calling on Myanmar's military to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on implementing the five-point consensus program, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Monday.
At a special session on Myanmar late last April, the ASEAN nations agreed on a five-point plan to resolve the situation in the country. The points include ending violence, facilitating talks between all parties, sending aid to Myanmar, and appointing a special envoy with access to the country.
"As reiterated in our recent communique, the United States and our G7 partners welcome the recent ASEAN five-point consensus plan, and we strongly urge the military regime to immediately and unconditionally cooperate with ASEAN and the UN to implement this plan," Blinken said. "The United States further stands ready to lend our support to ASEAN and the UN efforts to initiate an inclusive political dialogue to end the crisis."
The statement comes following Washington's introduction of new sanctions against Myanmar's military leadership. Blinken noted that besides Washington, the United Kingdom and Canada have also announced new measures against the military regime.
"Our actions today underscore our resolve and that of our partners to apply political and financial pressure on the regime as long as it fails to stop violence and take meaningful action to respect the will of the people," Blinken stated. "We encourage all countries to consider imposing measures against the regime - including arms embargos, suspension of military sales, and termination of commercial cooperation with military-owned entities - to promote accountability and to prevent further violence."
On February 1, the Myanmar military overthrew the civilian government and declared a year-long state of emergency. The coup triggered mass protests and was met by deadly violence, resulting in the death of over 700 people. Additionally, about 3,000 protesters were detained, according to rights activists.
