United Nations (UN) special envoy Ibrahim Gambari will not influence the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries on how to tackle the Myanmar issue.

 

"It is not normal for a (UN) secretariat member to give orders to the member states," he said in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday when commenting on the ASEAN action concerning the issue.

 

All the discussions could take place at the East Asian Summit 2007 scheduled on November 21 in Singapore, he said.

 

"A sustained engagement along the lines that we have been saying would be very welcome. What form this would take, we have to leave it to ASEAN," Malaysian national news agency Bernama quoted Gambari as saying.

 

The former Nigerian Foreign Minister is in Kuala Lumpur on an Asian tour to seek coordination towards a solution to the Myanmar issue.

 

Gambari also met Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawion Wednesday morning in Putrajaya, the administrative center of Malaysia.

 

Malaysia is the envoy's second stop in his 6-nation Asian tour after Thailand. He will continue meeting leaders from Indonesia, India, China and Japan on the peace mission to exchange views on the current situation in Myanmar.

 

Gambari visited Myanmar in late September and earlier October amid widespread mass demonstrations by Buddhist monks and people in several parts of the country. He arrived in Yangon to look into the situation of the country and play the UN's part in seeking for Myanmar's national reconciliation.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2007)