Bowing to international pressure, Myanmar's rulers on Tuesday agreed to bring forward to early November a return visit by UN mediator Ibrahim Gambari a day after clearing the first visit by the UN's top human rights official in four years.
UN spokeswoman Michele Montas announced Tuesday that Gambari, currently on a six-nation Asian tour, "expects to visit Myanmar in the first week of November as the Myanmar government agreed to bring forward his standing invitation to the country."
Last week Gambari said from Kuala Lumpur that he had been invited to return to Myanmar in the third week of November.
But the United States and its European allies made it clear that they wanted the UN emissary back in Myanmar as soon as possible."
"It's urgent that Mr Gambari be allowed to come into Burma, to facilitate in the reconciliation that is necessary and in the transition to a new order that's necessary for Burma (Myanmar) to become a normal state," US ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad said Monday.
Tuesday's announcement came a day after the ruling junta gave its consent for the first visit by the UN's top human rights official in four years.
Myanmar authorities suggested that Paulo Sergio Pinheiro of Brazil pay the visit before the summit meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) scheduled to begin in Singapore in the second half of November.
The Geneva-based Human Rights Council's independent human rights expert or Special Rapporteur on Myanmar had been refused permission to visit the country since 2003.
Myanmar has been in the world spotlight since pro-democracy protests spearheaded by the country's revered Buddhist monks were violently put down by the regime last month.
Gambari, a seasoned UN troubleshooter, was then sent to Myanmar to convey international outrage over the the violence that left at least 13 people dead.
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