US seeks action, possible UN resolution, on Myanmar junta

The United States is seeking more pressure on Myanmar's junta through the United Nations and is urging the international community not to recognise upcoming elections, a senior official said Thursday.

"There is wide acknowledgement that the regime needs to feel more pressure," State Department Counselor Derek Chollet, who is leading US diplomacy on Myanmar during the annual United Nations General Assembly, told AFP.

He pointed to outrage over an air strike this month that killed 11 schoolchildren as well as the July execution of four prominent prisoners by the junta, which threw out the elected government in February 2021, ending a decade-long experiment in democracy.

Chollet said he held talks both with other governments and with representatives of the National Unity Government -- dominated by ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party -- and held a virtual meeting with armed ethnic groups inside the country.

He said he spoke with other nations about a Security Council resolution although the effort was in "the very early stages" with specifics not yet clear.

"We think we have to be realistic on all issues about how far Russia and China are willing to let the council take action," he said, referring to the veto-wielding allies of Myanmar's military.

"We think it's important to try," he said.

He added that he also conveyed to other governments that "we shouldn't lend any sense of credibility" to elections the junta plans for next August.

• 13 killed, including 7 children in Myanmar air attack