A/RES/56/231 6. Expresses its concern at the slow progress in the talks between the Government of Myanmar and Aung San Suu Kyi, General-Secretary of the National League for Democracy, and urges that the increasing development and progress of the confidence-building measures ensure the irreversibility of the process towards democracy; 7. Recognizes the steps taken by the Government of Myanmar to allow some political functions to be resumed by the opposition, including the reopening of some branch offices of political parties and the cessation of the negative media campaign, but expresses deep concern at the unnecessary and discriminatory stringent restrictions that continue to hamper political parties’ freedom of assembly, association, expression, information and movement, as noted by the Special Rapporteur, as well as at the use by the Government of intimidatory methods such as arbitrary detention and abuse of the legal system, and calls for an early restoration of political rights and freedoms; 8. Notes the dissemination of human rights standards for public officials through a series of human rights workshops, and encourages the Government of Myanmar to widen participation in these workshops to ensure that this information, and its practical implementation, can benefit all citizens of Myanmar; 9. Also notes the establishment by the Government of Myanmar of a national human rights committee, and encourages it to bring this committee into conformity with the Principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights annexed to General Assembly resolution 48/134 of 20 December 1993 (the Paris Principles); 10. Welcomes the release from detention of a number of democratic political activists, and strongly urges the Government of Myanmar to release all remaining detained political leaders and all political prisoners, including journalists, to ensure their physical integrity and to permit them to participate in the process of national reconciliation; 11. Notes with satisfaction the continued cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross, allowing the Committee to communicate with and visit detainees in accordance with its modalities of work, and hopes that the programme will be pursued further; 12. Welcomes the reopening of most university courses, but remains concerned that enjoyment of the right to education continues to be limited, often for political reasons, by the reduction in the length of the academic year, the division of the student population and its dispersal to distant campuses and the inadequate allocation of resources; 13. Strongly urges the Government of Myanmar to take urgent and concrete measures to ensure the establishment of democracy in accordance with the will of the people as expressed in the democratic elections held in 1990 and, to this end, to extend the talks initiated with Aung San Suu Kyi, General-Secretary of the National League for Democracy, to encompass a genuine and substantive dialogue with all the leaders of political parties and of ethnic minorities, with the aim of achieving national reconciliation and the restoration of democracy, and to ensure that political parties and non-governmental organizations can function freely, and, in this context notes the existence of the committee representing the People’s Parliament; 14. Recalls the resolution adopted by the International Labour Conference at its eighty-eighth session, held from 30 May to 15 June 2000, recommending that international organizations reconsider any cooperation with Myanmar and that 3