BOCHAROV RUCHEI, September 28 (RIA Novosti) - Russia considers it premature to discuss possible sanctions against Myanmar after the army's recent crackdown on protesters, President Vladimir Putin said Friday.
"As far as the possibility of sanctions is concerned, it is a subject for special consideration by the UN," Vladimir Putin said. "It is too soon to talk about this yet."
Nine people were killed in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, in a crackdown by security forces during protests on Thursday, state media reported. The protests, which are the largest in more than two decades, began last month when the junta drastically raised the price of fuel, leaving many people unable to afford even a journey to work.
Russia said earlier Friday it is seriously concerned by the worsening situation in conflict-ridden Myanmar.
"The violent suppression of mass demonstrations in a number of cities has been accompanied by bloodshed, causing considerable loss of life. Urgent steps are necessary to avert an escalation of tension," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its official Web site.
It said the continuing confrontation would have serious negative consequences for peace, stability and nation building in the country.
Following the arrest of over 200 monks in overnight raids, police initially succeeded in clearing central areas of Yangon, also known as Rangoon. However, protesters regrouped, and security forces later opened fire with automatic weapons on members of an early evening anti-junta demonstration, according to Japan's Kyodo News, which cited local eyewitnesses.
State television said that of the nine killed, one was a Japanese journalist. Japan's Foreign Ministry confirmed the report, and identified the victim as Kenji Nagai, a video journalist working for Tokyo-based news agency APF News.
France's UN Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert read a statement to reporters Thursday saying that UN Security Council members "have expressed their concern vis-a-vis the situation, and have urged restraint, especially from the government of Myanmar."
The statement came after the failure by the UN Security Council to adopt a draft resolution on Myanmar, after China and Russia blocked international calls for sanctions against the country.
China's UN Ambassador Wang Guangya said: "We believe sanctions are not helpful for the situation down there," while Vitaly Churkin, Russia's UN envoy, said that the country first needed a "return to security."
The ruling junta seized power in 1988, and although a general election was subsequently held in 1990, the military authorities refused to honor the results when pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party won.
The last anti-junta demonstrations in Myanmar were led by students in 1988. Security forces opened fire on crowds, and around 3,000 people were killed.
