SECRETARY-GENERAL HOPES POLITICAL-PRISONER RELEASE WILL ADD MOMENTUM
TO NATIONAL RECONCILIATION PROCESS IN MYANMAR
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:
The Secretary-General welcomes the release of political prisoners that began in Yangon, Myanmar, on Thursday, following a statement by the Government that��� 115 political prisoners would be freed, including many members of the National League for Democracy (NLD).
����������� During his visit, from 12 to 16 November, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Razali Ismail, strongly urged the Government to release political prisoners in a large number at one time, so that more than 200 political detainees would have been released by the end of 2002.� The Secretary-General hopes this first large-scale release will provide fresh momentum for the national reconciliation process in that country.
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