We thank the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Ms Yanghee Lee, for her thorough update on the situation on human rights in Myanmar.
Norway welcomes the developments in Myanmar towards political and economic reforms, democratization and good governance. The high priority the Government is giving to peace and national reconciliation is encouraging. Norway remains committed to supporting Myanmar in this area.
We appreciate the appointment of the independent international fact-finding mission by the President of the Human Rights Council, in order to establish the facts and circumstances of the suspected human rights violations by security forces in Rakhine. We encourage the Government to cooperate fully with the fact-finding mission.
We also emphasize the steps taken by the Government in addressing the challenges in Rakhine, including the establishment of the Advisory Commission on the Rakhine State led by Kofi Annan, whose final report and recommendations to the Government will be presented in August. We recognize the complexity of the challenges in Rakhine. Long-term peace in Rakhine will require a political process in tandem with inclusive development.