By AFP
Hunt said he also
wanted to visit Myanmar to meet with military leaders and Nobel Laureate Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's de facto leader, who has faced criticism for
failing to speak out.
LONDON — British Foreign
Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Tuesday he would host talks at the United Nations
this month over allegations Myanmar's military committed genocide against the
Rohingya minority, warning the perpetrators must be brought to justice.
"Ethnic
cleansing in whatever shape or form, wherever it happens, should never go
unpunished and the perpetrators of these appalling crimes must be brought to
justice," he told MPs.
A UN-backed
fact-finding mission last month called for an international investigation and
prosecution of Myanmar's army chief and five other top military commanders for
genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes against the Rohingya.
The leaders strongly
deny the claims, and Hunt acknowledged that bringing those responsible to
justice would be a "long hard road".
A referral to the
International Criminal Court would need to come from the UN Security Council,
but "at the moment it's not clear that there would be a consensus on the
Security Council to deliver that," Hunt said.
However, he vowed:
"We will leave no stone unturned to make sure the perpetrators are brought
to justice."
"I intend to be
convening a high level meeting of ministers [on] the margins of the United
Nations General Assembly later this month," he said.
Hunt, who was
appointed Britain's top diplomat in July, said he would be able to make a
"stronger case" for action if he visited the country himself.
"It is
important that I visit Burma/Myanmar to meet the military, to meet Aung San Sui
Kyi, to see for myself the situation on the ground," he said.
He added that
"a line has been crossed".
"This is the
kind of issue where countries that believe in civilised values have to take a
stand and have to make sure justice is done," he said.