Concerned United Nations can only sidestep Myanmar crisis

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has bracketed Myanmar with Afghanistan and Ethiopia as nations where peace and stability remain a distant dream. He declared unwavering support for the people of the turbulent, military-ruled Southeast Asia state in their pursuit of democracy and peace. The situation in Myanmar after the army’s seizure of power eight months ago has since become an extended bloody conflict with ever-escalating violence. Yet the U.N. is unlikely to take any meaningful action against Myanmar’s new rulers because they have the support of China and Russia, which are among the top arms suppliers to the country and would almost certainly veto any effort to impose a coordinated arms embargo, or anything beyond an anodyne call for peace.