UN ENVOY MEETS AUNG SAN SUU KYI !

Mr Gambari's previous visit to Burma attracted little praise

United Nations special envoy to Burma Ibrahim Gambari has met detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, government officials have said.

No details of the talks were released. Mr Gambari's visit is part of a mission aimed at promoting dialogue between Burma's opposition and military rulers.

Ms Suu Kyi declined to meet Mr Gambari during his last visit six months ago due to a lack of progress in reform.

She has spent much of the past 19 years under house arrest.

Mr Gambari, who arrived in Burma on Saturday, had talks with Foreign Minister Nyan Win.

It is unclear whether he will be allowed to meet the head of state, General Than Shwe.

The UN envoy told diplomats that his objectives are to urge the release of political prisoners, discuss the country's ailing economy and revive a dialogue between Ms Suu Kyi and the junta.

Mr Gambari's seventh trip to the country comes amid criticism that he has failed to achieve Ms Suu Kyi's release or any other discernible progress from his diplomacy.

Last week Win Naing, a spokesman for Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), told the Thailand-based magazine Irrawaddy:

"After the last six visits to Burma by the special envoy, we did not see any concrete results for political development in the country.

"But we hope there may be a solution to start a genuine dialogue on this trip."

BBC South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head says that even if Mr Gambari managed to meet Than Shwe, it was unlikely anything could be achieved.

The military is pushing ahead with a tightly-controlled election next year, which is guaranteed to leave it holding most of the levers of power. It has recently imposed long jail sentences on dozens of political activists.

Mr Gambari hopes he can discuss a possible future visit to Burma by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, but diplomats say that would be inconceivable under current conditions.

Burma's ruling generals have continued to suppress dissent since crushing pro-democracy protests led by monks in September 2007.

Rights groups say the number of political prisoners being held has doubled to 2,100 since then, with some given sentences of 65 years.

The NLD won a general election in 1990 but the junta refused to allow the party to assume power.

The junta says it will hold elections in 2010 under a revised constitution, a process which the opposition sees as fundamentally flawed.

In recent months, the generals have further consolidated their grip on power, pushing through a constitution which reserves 25% of the seats in any future parliament for the military.
BBC NEWS REPORT.