UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has vowed to mobilise the international community to put enough pressure on Myanmar to ensure that the military coup in the country “fails”, saying it is unfortunate that the Security Council is not yet united in dealing with the crisis.
The UN Security Council met on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Myanmar after the military seized power and detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and other top political leaders in the bloodless coup.
Suu Kyi has been charged with illegally importing walkie-talkies, a move by which she can be detained until February 15.
In an interview to The Washington Post, Guterres said: “Unfortunately, the Security Council was not yet able to have unity in this regard and we will do everything we can to mobilise all the key actors of the international community to put enough pressure on Myanmar to make sure that this coup fails”.
Guterres said that after the November elections in Myanmar, which “took place normally” and after the large period of transition, it is “absolutely unacceptable” to reverse the results of the election and the will of the people.
The Council is yet to issue any statement on the situation in Myanmar.
An initial draft by Britain put forth for discussion among the 15-member Council condemns the coup, calls for the military to respect the rule of law and for the immediate release of the detained leaders.