Madam President,

        Allow me to begin by expressing our deep appreciation for the skilful and effective manner in which you have been conducting the proceedings of this Conference. I am confident that, under your able leadership, the eighty-ninth International Labour Conference will come to a successful conclusion.

Madam President,

        The report of the Standards Committee, contained in the Provisional Record No. 19,, Part 3, is before the plenary of the Conference. The report of the Standards Committee reflects the discussions in the Committee on 11 June 2001. On the whole, the discussions in the Committee on the question of Myanmar were positive.

        We should Re to express the profound gratitude of the Myanmar Delegation to the Members States of ASEAN and the Asia and Pacific Region for their important joint statements, respectively, welcoming and supporting the steps taken by the Myanmar Government and the agreement between the Myanmar Government and the ILO on the modalities of an ILO objective assessment. We are also highly appreciative of the supportive comments, made by individual delegations and delegates.

Madam President, 

        The agreement between the Myanmar Government and the ILO on the modalities of an ILO objective assessment is a breakthrough. We believe that it will constitute an important major step towards the resolution of the issue.

        The Myanmar Government, on its part, is willing to cooperate with the High Level Team (BLT) and to facilitate its work when it comes to Myanmar on an objective assessment mission in September this year.

        We believe that it is the desire of all parties concerned to ensure the success of the objective assessment mission of the ULT within the parameters of the agreed modalities.

Madam President, 

        In this context, I should Re to underscore the importance of the conclusion of the Committee of the ILO Experts.

       The Committee of the ILO Experts, in para 7 of its report, concludes: "Order 1/99 as supplemented by the Order of 27 October 2000 could provide a statutory basis for ensuring compliance with the Convention in practice, if given effect bona fide not only by the local authorities empowered to requisition labour under the Village and Towns Acts, but also by civilian and military officers entitled to call on the assistance of local authorities under the Acts.

        This conclusion of the Committee of the ILO Experts is recognized by all constituents of the ILO as a most credible and authoritative objective assessment.

        I. therefore, commend the interpretative declaration of the Chairman following his summing up, as reflected in the report of the Standards Committee contained, in the Provisional Record No. 19, Part 3.

Madam President,

     We believe that, if parties concerned carry out the objective assessment in good faith in all sincerity, without any politicization, within the parameters of the agreed modalities, we can have a successful mission.

      In this spirit, let us do our utmost to ensure that this process will advance surely and speedily, and will soon lead to the resolution of the issue.

        I thank you, Madam President.