YANGON, Dec. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Myanmar leader Lieutenant-General Thein Sein reiterated on Monday the country's commitment to follow the seven-point political roadmap for the transition to a genuine and discipline-flourishing democracy, saying that there is no any alternative way for the transition.

    Thein Sein, first secretary of the State Peace and Development Council and chairman of the National Convention Convening Commission, made the remarks in his opening address at a resumed session of the national convention at the Nyaunghnapin camp, about 40 kilometers north of Yangon, after eight-month adjournment since March.

    He urged 1,044 delegates participating in the convention to cooperate for the commitment. These delegates came from eight categories of delegate groups of political parties, representatives-elect (in the 1990 general election), national races, peasants, workers, intellectuals and intelligentsia, state services personnel (including armymen) and invited individuals (including turned-in former anti-government ethnic armed groups).

    The resumed session of the convention is to seek approval to lay down detailed basic principles for sharing the executive and judicial powers, and discuss such principles for relations among parliaments and the role of the Tatmadaw (armed forces) as a follow-up of the previous phase, in which the convention had approved the detailed principles for sharing of legislative power in 11 sectors including defense and security; foreign affairs; financing and planning; economic; agriculture and livestock breeding; energy, electricity, mining and forestry; industry; transport and communication and construction.

    Since the national convention started in 1993, it has adopted 104 basic principles for drafting the state Constitution and detailed ones for seven chapters -- "The State", "Structure of State", "Head of state", "Designation of Self-Administered Divisions or Zones", "Formation of Legislature", "Formation of Executive", "Formation of Judiciary" and "Sharing of Legislative power".

    More sessions will follow in the future to deal with citizens and fundamental rights and responsibilities of citizens, elections,political parties, prescriptions for the state of emergency, amendments of Constitution, state flag, state emblem, national anthem and capital as well as prescriptions in transitional period,according to the commission.

    The national convention, first formally resumed on May 17 last year, constitutes the first step of the government's seven-point political roadmap to democracy announced in August 2003, followed by undergoing a national referendum on draft of the constitution, holding a general election to produce parliament representatives and forming a new democratic government.

    Present at the opening of the resumed session of the conventionwere also foreign diplomats, local and foreign newsmen. Enditem