Summary: "The present report is based upon the good offices efforts undertaken by the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy, Razali Ismail, in facilitating national reconciliation and democratization in Myanmar, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 59/263 of 23 December 2004. The Secretary-General has maintained from the very beginning that the National Convention and subsequent stages in the seven-step road map for transition to democracy put forth by the Government of Myanmar in 2003 has the potential to be a positive step forward. He has stressed that to ensure credibility it is essential that the National Convention phase of the road map, which the Government reconvened in May 2004 to lay the foundations on which a new constitution is drafted, includes representatives of the National League for Democracy (NLD), other political parties and ethnic nationality groups, as well as other strata of society. The Secretary-General has similarly made it clear that all those involved in the National Convention must also be allowed to speak freely, openly and without restriction on the matters at hand. To date, however, the National Convention has regrettably fallen short of satisfying these basic requirements. On 17 February 2005, the Convention was again reconvened without the participation of representatives of the NLD and other political parties. Furthermore, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi not only remains under house arrest, but along with her deputy has also had her detention extended for a further year. Other political and ethnic leaders have also been arrested or detained, causing one ceasefire group to boycott the Convention. Most regrettably, it therefore remains the Secretary-General?s view that the National Convention, in its present format, does not adhere to the recommendations made by the General Assembly in successive resolutions. He thus reiterates his call on the Myanmar authorities, even at this late stage, to take the necessary steps to make the road map process more inclusive and credible. The Secretary-General also encourages the authorities to ensure that the third phase of the road map, the drafting of the constitution, is fully inclusive. A national referendum will be held after that. It is his considered view that unless this poll adheres to internationally accepted standards of conduct and participation, it may be difficult for the international community, including the countries of the region, to endorse the result. In furtherance of this objective, the Secretary-General once again appeals to the Myanmar authorities to resume without delay a substantive political dialogue with the representatives of all ethnic nationality groups and political leaders, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, to help achieve a genuine process of national reconciliation. He reiterates the need for the remaining constraints on all political leaders to be lifted, NLD offices to be allowed to reopen and political prisoners, including elected officials, to be released. In this context, the Secretary-General renews his readiness to facilitate national reconciliation efforts among all parties concerned. At the same time, however, he wishes to articulate his deep concern at the Myanmar authorities? continued unwillingness to cooperate with his Special Envoy over the past year. The present situation casts serious doubt on the prospects for the United Nations to play an effective role as a facilitator in furtherance of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly. He urges the authorities to demonstrate their commitment to a credible process of democratization and national reconciliation by allowing his Special Envoy to return to Myanmar to continue his facilitation efforts."