ENGLISH DEYEA NEWS

By LALIT K JHA / UNITED NATIONS : US President George W Bush, in a meeting with the ambassadors of the permanent members of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, discussed the Burmese junta, the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the political stalemate on the restoration of democracy in the country.

Few details were available about what was discussed at the meeting. The political stand off in Zimbabwe is said to have dominated the proceedings.

"We talked about the UN Security Council role for Darfur and Burma," Bush told reporters at the White House following the meeting.

It is well-known that the Bush administration along with France and Britain has called for a stronger effort by the Security Council towards the restoration of democracy in Burma. However, China and Russia have been resistant to stronger actions by the Security Council.

The Bush administration has placed the Burmese generals and many of their business cronies under a series of economic sanctions. During the past year, the first lady, Laura Bush, has been very outspoken on the Burma issue.

Recently, statements coming from top Bush administration officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, have reflected frustration with the role of the Security Council on Burma.

In a recent interview on CNN, Rice said the US would like to see the Security Council play a more active role, but because of China and “some other countries,” she said: "We were never able to get a strong resolution to deal with it."