A high-ranking U.S. Senator has criticized the United Nations for what he calls its "weak and tepid" response to the actions of Burma's military government.
In a statement on the Senate floor, Senator Mitch McConnell, a member of the majority Republican leadership, expressed "disbelief" -- that the UN Security Council has not debated the situation in Burma or imposed sanctions against its government.
A UN human rights investigator has recently called for the unconditional release of Burmese opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi --who has been under house arrest for almost one year.
The military government has invited Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy to a constitutional convention, scheduled to begin on May 17th. But the opposition says its leader must be released before it will attend.