UK, US: The abomination in Myanmar must stop

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) – The “abomination” in Myanmar must stop, the violence and persecution of Rohingya Muslims by Myanmar must stop, top diplomats of the British-American transatlantic alliance said on Thursday.

“The tragedy that is unfolding and the gross abuse of the human rights of the Rohingya population, nobody should underestimate what is happening now,” British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told reporters after meeting in London with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and other foreign ministers.

Some “370,000 Rohingya have fled or are estimated to have fled in desperation. That’s almost half the Rohingya population in Northern Rakhine,” in Myanmar, he said.

Johnson said Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi came to lead her country “after a period of decades of repression by a military junta. And I yield to no one in my admiration of what she stood for and the way she fought for democracy... But I think it’s now vital for her to use that moral capital and that authority to make the point about the suffering of the people of Rakhine.

“And I think nobody wants to see a return to military rule … Nobody wants to see a return of the generals.

“But it’s also vital that the civilian government -- and that is Daw Suu [Kyi] ... it is vital for her now to make clear that this is an abomination and that those people will be allowed back, that those people will be allowed back to Burma and that preparation is being made, and that the abuse of their human rights and the killings -- hundreds perhaps even thousands -- then the killings will stop.”

Tillerson echoed Johnson, saying the persecution of the Rohingya must come to an end.

“I think it is important that the global community speak out in support of what we all know the expectation is towards the treatment of people, regardless of their ethnicity, and that we must -- this violence must stop; this persecution must stop. It’s been characterized by many as ethnic cleansing. That must stop.”

-Stability needed in Libya

The top diplomats’ remarks followed a meeting focusing on Libya held with the foreign ministers of Italy, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and France.

“Libya is a front line in our common struggle against terrorism and illegal migration, and we all share a vital interest in that country’s stability,” said Johnson.

“Our shared goal is to break the political deadlock and rally behind the United Nations envoy, Ghassan Salame, as he seeks to bring all sides together,” he said.

“Our friends in North Africa share the same interest in a peaceful Libya, and that prize is wholly achievable. We now have a new opportunity to make progress by helping the Libyan people to reach a political settlement based on compromise and consensus,” he added.

Tillerson said that it is “important to the United States to create stability, reconciliation, and restore Libya under a functioning government.”

“What we don’t want to see happen is Libya become a place to birth additional terrorist organizations or provide opportunities for ISIS [Daesh] to re-emerge in a different part of the world,” Tillerson said.

“We are all committed to helping the Libyans find the Libyan solution that will lead to their future,” he added.

Both diplomats confirmed that their governments are ready to support the efforts by the UN envoy.

“I think as Special Representative Salame works with the Libyans to advance political reconciliation, it’s important that he know that he has the full support of the United States,” Tillerson said.

-North Korea

Johnson and Tillerson also took up the tension sparked by the latest nuclear tests by North Korea.

“We discussed the grave situation in East Asia, where North Korea has defied the world by testing a nuclear device and launching ballistic missiles,” Johnson said.

“On Monday, the Security Council unanimously adopted UN Resolution 2375, including the toughest sanctions imposed on any country in the 21st century.

“Today, we discussed how best to enforce those measures, with the aim of maximizing the pressure on North Korea to reach a diplomatic solution.

“We resolved to continue to work together and with important partners who can influence North Korea, including China, with the aim of securing the complete and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

On his meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May, Tillerson said : “I expressed my appreciation to the prime minister for the very strong support and resolve of the United Kingdom both as an important member of the UN Security Council but also in the public statements and actions to send a very strong message to North Korea and the regime in North Korea that their efforts to advance their nuclear weapons programs and the threatening posture that they have taken is not acceptable to any member of the international community.”

“And that support is very important in our efforts to bring that to a resolution,” he said.

He added that the U.S. was “very thankful for the U.K.’s leadership, and the foreign secretary in particular has been stellar in terms of supporting our efforts on North Korea, from sanctions to also implementing those sanctions, finding ways to de-escalate the violence in Syria.”

-Prime Minister May

Tillerson added that he and May had discussed the threat that Iran poses to the region through its destabilizing activities in Yemen, in Syria, and other parts of the region, as well as the countries’ shared interest in finding a solution to the conflict in Syria once Daesh is defeated.

Tillerson said the U.S. will stand by the U.K. as an ally while Brexit presents unique challenges to the British people.