Southeast Asian nations must decide if they are going to push ahead with a so-far failed five-point peace plan for Myanmar or "decide what's next" before their leaders meet in November, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said on Monday.
"Between now and the ASEAN summit in November, ASEAN must seriously review if the five-point consensus is still relevant, and if it should be replaced with something better," Abdullah said.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders for the UN General Assembly in New York, Abdullah also said he hoped the 15-member UN Security Council would not fail the people of Myanmar, though the Security Council has long been split on Myanmar with diplomats saying China and Russia would likely shield the country from any strong action.
The UN Security Council is considering a British-drafted resolution—circulated on Friday—that demands an end to all violence in Myanmar, urges an immediate end to the transfer of arms to Myanmar, threatens UN sanctions, and calls for the Myanmar junta to release all political prisoners, to implement the ASEAN peace plan, and lastly to allow a democratic transition.
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