A representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Burma has disputed parts of a recent report calling for political reforms in the country.
That report was issued earlier this month by former Czech President Vaclav Havel and retired South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu. They said the political and criminal conditions in Burma are far worse than seven other countries in which the U.N. Security Council intervened.
Their report cited Burma's drug trade, spread of AIDS, and systematic human rights abuses.
In correspondence with one of the report's several authors Jared Genser, U.N. official Jean-Luc Lemahieu in Rangoon said Burma has made significant progress in curtailing drug production.
He also said the report inaccurately portrayed the AIDS situation in Burma. Despite those criticisms, Mr. Lemahieu said he fully supports the U.N. demand for political reform in Burma.