Richardson denies being asked to leave Myanmar advisory panel on Rohingya crisis

Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson speaks during an interview with Reuters as a member of an international advisory board on the crisis of Rakhine state in Yangon, Myanmar January 24, 2018. REUTERS/Ann Wang NO RESALES NO ARCHIVES

YANGON (Reuters) - Veteran U.S. diplomat Bill Richardson denied he was asked by Myanmar's government to step down from an international advisory board on the Rohingya crisis, his spokesman said on Friday.

A statement issued by the office of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi late on Thursday had accused Richardson of pursuing "his own agenda" and said that the government decided to ask him to quit as his continued participation on the board would not be in the best interests of all concerned.