US calls Myanmar expulsion of UN representative outrageous

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The United States condemned Myanmar's expulsion of the top UN diplomat in the country, its human rights representative. "This outrageous action... is an insult to the United Nations and the international community," Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said Friday. The ruling military junta acted against UN resident coordinator Charles Petrie one day before the arrival of UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari to promote talks between the government and the pro-democracy opposition. Gambari also planned to press for the release of people detained in last month's crackdown on Buddhist monks and other opponents of the junta that rules Myanmar, also known as Burma.