U.N. URGES BURMA TO RESPECT HUMAN R

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Subject: U.N. URGES BURMA TO RESPECT HUMAN RIGHTS

Tuesday May 27 4:48 PM EDT 

U.N. Urges Burma to Respect Rights

GENEVA (Reuter) - The top United Nations officer for human rights expressed
concern Tuesday
over Burma's detention and arrest of opposition party members in recent days. 

Ralph Zacklin, interim U.N. high commissioner for human rights, issued a
statement which also
called on the government to "respect fully international norms of human
rights and principles." 

Burma's military junta on Tuesday successfully limited a large gathering of
the National League for
Democracy party (NLD) planned at democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's house
to mark the
anniversary of its unrecognized victory in the 1990 election. 

"The officer-in charge of the U.N. High Commissioner/Center for Human
Rights, Mr. Ralph
Zacklin, is deeply concerned by reports of detentions and arrest of NLD
members taking place in
Rangoon in the last few days," said the U.N. statement. 

"Mr. Zacklin is particulary concerned that internationally reocognized
rights of Ms. Aung San Suu
Kyi are being limited." 

The Briton, who took over as interim U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights
last March, will
meet soon with Burma's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva "to discuss these
and other human
rights issues," according to the statement.