UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -
The chair of a United Nations inquiry that accused Myanmar’s military of
genocide is likely to brief the Security Council this month after Britain,
France, the United States and six other members requested the meeting,
diplomats said on Tuesday.
The move comes as global pressure mounts on Myanmar to
act on accountability after a Myanmar military crackdown in the western state
of Rakhine last year drove some 700,000 of the largely stateless minority over
the border into Bangladesh.
The crackdown followed attacks by Rohingya militants on
security posts. Myanmar has denied committing atrocities against the Rohingya,
saying its military carried out justifiable actions against militants.
The U.N. inquiry’s report, released in August, called for
the U.N. Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Myanmar, impose targeted
sanctions and set up an ad hoc tribunal to try suspects or refer them to the
International Criminal Court.
Diplomats say council veto powers China and Russia are
likely to protect Myanmar from any push for such measures.
However, they cannot block the briefing on the U.N.
report because a minimum nine of the 15 council members support the move, which
cannot be vetoed. Diplomats say China and Russia believe the report should
first be addressed by the U.N. General Assembly’s Third Committee, which deals
with human rights.
The letter requesting the briefing was signed by Britain,
France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Peru, Kuwait, Ivory Coast and the
United States.
Myanmar’s U.N. Ambassador Hau Do Suan wrote to the
Security Council on Tuesday to object to the chair of the inquiry being invited
to brief the body, warning that it “will only exacerbate mistrust and
polarization among different communities in Rakhine” state, where the military
crackdown occurred.
“Putting accountability above all else without regard to
other positive developments is a dangerous attempt that will face utter
failure,” he wrote.
The U.N. inquiry, established by the Geneva-based U.N.
Human Rights Council, said the military carried out mass killings and gang
rapes of Rohingya with “genocidal intent.” Myanmar rejected the findings as
“one-sided” and said it was a legitimate counterinsurgency operation.
The European Union is considering trade sanctions on
Myanmar over the Rohingya crisis, potentially stripping the country of
tariff-free access to the world’s largest trading bloc, three EU officials said
earlier this month. The EU has already imposed travel bans and asset freezes on
several military members.
The United States imposed sanctions on four military and
police commanders and two army units in August. New sanctions are under
consideration for half a dozen other individuals and at least two military-run
businesses, U.S. officials have said.
“Unilateral coercive measures without regard to the
situation in Myanmar and imposition of politically motivated external pressure
will be detrimental to the existing good will and cooperation of the Myanmar
Government with the international community,” Myanmar’s U.N. envoy wrote to the
Security Council.
Separately, the prosecutor of the International Criminal
Court has begun examining allegations of forced deportation of Rohingya to
Bangladesh. Myanmar has said it wants to repatriate Rohingya who fled.