UN approves US bid for Myanmar rights discussion News
UN approves US bid for Myanmar rights discussion

[JURIST] The UN Security Council [official website] agreed Friday to a US request to discuss human rights violations in Myanmar for the first time. The UN discussion was announced after Myanmar's military-led government extended [JURIST report] for yet another year the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi [BBC profile, official website], and amid human rights group reports of the nation's "brutal and systematic" abuse of political prisoners [AFP report]. While the situation will now be before the Council, the UN fell short of adding it to the Council's formal agenda. Algeria, China, Russia and Japan, who have questioned the US plan arguing that the issue was not within the scope of the council's goal to uphold international peace and security, do not expect a follow-up. US Ambassador John Bolton, however, noted the importance of bringing the topic before the council and remains focused on a long-term view. Reuters has more.