Reuters also reported that unidentified members of the General Assembly Credentials Committee, a group that includes China, Russia and the United States, had reached an understanding under which Mr. Kyaw Moe Tun would be permitted to keep his U.N. seat for the time being as long as he did not speak. Diplomats from countries represented on the committee did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The United States has denounced the junta and defended Mr. Kyaw Moe Tun’s right to represent Myanmar. China and Russia are significant weapons suppliers to Myanmar’s armed forces and have been far less critical of the February coup.
The Credentials Committee has yet to deliberate formally on the credentials applications submitted by Myanmar’s junta and the Taliban militants now controlling Afghanistan, which is also represented at the world body by an ambassador from a toppled government. That envoy, Ghulam M. Isaczai, was still listed to speak as of Sunday, a prospect that could anger the Taliban.
The right to speak on behalf of a country at the United Nations is an important barometer of its government’s international legitimacy and acceptance.
If the junta successfully ousted Mr. Kyaw Moe Tun in favor of its own envoy, that would represent a significant public relations victory for the ruling generals and a setback for the former civilian government led by Daw Aung Sang Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate imprisoned by the military since the coup on nebulous charges.