Feb 03 , 2021. 1 hour ago – 08:49 KYODO NEWS

NEW YORK – The U.N. Security Council held a closed-door online meeting Tuesday to discuss the situation in Myanmar, whose national military seized power the previous day.

Negotiations among participating countries continued over whether they can agree on a unified response, including the possibility of issuing a statement, according to a diplomatic source.

Britain, the chair of the council meeting, hopes to issue a press statement condemning the coup and calling for the release of detained Myanmar leaders.

But it remains uncertain whether the 15-member body can take such a step, as the issuance of statements by the council requires unanimous agreement.

The positions of the five permanent members of the Security Council are seen to be divided as usual in international disputes, with the United States, Britain and France slamming the coup as a reversal of Myanmar’s democratization, while China and Russia are distancing themselves from the matter.

After Myanmar’s military seized power Monday and detained the country’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other government leaders, the United States and some European countries denounced the coup and called for the release of Suu Kyi and others.

In Myanmar, the military-backed party governed from 2011 to 2016 with former Gen. Thein Sein as president.

Cr.KYODO NEWS