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France welcomes UNSC statement on Rohingya repression

PARIS, Nov 7 (KUNA) -- France said on Tuesday that it welcomes the adoption by the UN Security Council the previous day of a Presidential Statement on the situation of the beleaguered Muslim Rohingya community in Myanmar.
More than 500,000 Rohingyas have been forced to flee their homes and take refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh after violent Buddhist militias, backed by the Myanmar army, sacked and burned their villages and carried out massive human rights abuses.
France and Britain co-sponsored the UNSC statement, which is the first of its kind to be made in the UN body since 2008.
The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement here that the latest international initiative on the Rohingya crisis was unanimously adopted in the Security Council "and sends a strong message" to the international community.
Myanmar was condemned by the UNSC for the "attacks and violence carried out in Rakhine State" and it calls on the Myanmar government "to assure humanitarian access there and the voluntary, safe and dignified return of refugees." The UNSC statement also calls for human rights abusers to be brought to justice and for the Rohingyan community to be given equal civil rights.
Rangoon refuses to recognise the Muslim community as citizens of Myanmar and they suffer flagrant discrimination and have no legal recourse in that country where they don't even have identity papers.
France noted that the UNSC has set a 30-day period after which it will again evaluate the situation and the Council is also mulling the appointment of a Special Envoy for Myanmar.
Critics of the UNSC step complain that the world body should have adopted a stronger resolution and not just a statement and should have placed sanctions on Myanmar for its repression, particularly on the Myanmar military which tightly control the country. (end) jk.sd