UN Secretary-General's Special envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari will begin the much awaited visit to the country on Saturday amidst the heavy crackdown on protesters by Burma Army troops, the World body chief said.
Mr. Ban Ki-moon in a statement released on Thursday said the Burmese military junta has agreed to "a visit by his Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari, beginning September 29."
The UN chief also called on the Burmese junta "to engage in a constructive dialogue with his Special Adviser and to commit itself to a path of peaceful and inclusive national reconciliation."
Meanwhile, protesters in Rangoon for the third day defied government orders banning assemblies of more than five and are reportedly marching on the streets of Rangoon once again.
The recent protests, which the junta has began to crackdown on, has attracted much international attention with the Security Council convening an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis.
However, with China, which along with Russia vetoed a Security Council resolution on Burma earlier this year, once again calling the ongoing protests and crackdown an internal affair, the Council ended up urging the junta to exercise restraint.
The Council, however, agreed to send Gambari, who has extensively traveled to key countries in Europe and Asia including Asean countries to consult on Burma's political issue in June and July this year, to visit Burma immediately.
However, critics fear that Gambari, who has made two earlier visits in 2006, would be used by the junta to save face internationally.
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