A/HRC/4/14 page 8 particular human rights situation requires that responsibility be shared between the special rapporteur, the Government, opposition forces and civil society. Special rapporteurs expect reciprocal cooperation, openness, and a serious commitment manifested by deeds and not merely words; special rapporteurs can only report progress backed by hard evidence. 21. Throughout the six years of his mandate, the Special Rapporteur has maintained a constant dialogue within the diplomatic community. In Asia, he has systematically sought the views of Myanmar’s neighbours in order to verify his own impressions and analyses. He has reflected on their perspectives in his reports, having held consultations in Bangkok, Beijing, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Tokyo with Governments, parliamentarians, the Secretariat of ASEAN, research centres and civil society organizations. IV. MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES OF CONCERN A. Political developments 22. In the past two years, the reform process proposed in the “seven-point road map for national reconciliation and democratic transition” - whose potential for political transition the Special Rapporteur had recognized at the outset - has been strictly limited and delineated. The work of the National Convention has been adversely affected by this development. First convened in 1993, the National Convention was adjourned in May 1996 until it was reconvened for an eight-week period from 17 May to 9 July 2004. Having again been suspended for a further nine months following its 17 February-31 March 2005 session, the National Convention reconvened on 5 December 2005. On 31 January 2006, after having met for nearly two months without significant progress, the National Convention adjourned once more. It resumed its activities on 10 October and recessed on 29 December 2006 after more than 10 weeks of deliberations which were not genuinely open to all political parties and ethnic groups. The Special Rapporteur remains convinced that the announcement of a timetable for the implementation of the road map would be a clear demonstration of a commitment to the realization of a political transition. 23. The Special Rapporteur regrettably notes that the recommendations put forward on several occasions by the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights calling for the National Convention to be placed on a solid democratic foundation have been disregarded by the Government. The National League for Democracy (NLD) and ethnic parties have not been effectively and meaningfully associated with the National Convention. The drafting process of the Constitution has been marked by a lack of transparency. 24. In that regard, the Special Rapporteur takes note of the resolution adopted by consensus on 18 October 2006 at the 179th session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Governing Council convened in Geneva, which stated: “the National Convention, in its present form, is designed to prolong and legitimize military rule against the will of the people as expressed in the 1990 elections, and that any transition towards democracy will fail so long as it is not genuinely free, transparent and reflective of the people’s will, and preceded by the unconditional release of all political prisoners and the lifting of all restrictions on human rights and political activity”.