UN envoy in Myanmar meets Suu Kyi liaison: govt official

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090201/wl_asia_afp/myanmarpoliticsundiplomacy_20090201062146

Digg Facebook Newsvine del.icio.us Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo! Bookmarks Print Sun Feb 1, 1:20 am ET AFP/Myanmar News Agency – UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari (L) meets with Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win (R) at the former war office … YANGON (AFP) – The UN's top envoy to Myanmar on Sunday met the minister tasked with liaising with detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, an official said, in the latest talks aimed at nudging the junta toward reform.

Ibrahim Gambari's last trip to the military-ruled nation in August 2008 ended in deadlock, with Aung San Suu Kyi refusing to meet the Nigerian diplomat and her party dismissing the visit as "a waste of time."

On this four-day trip which began Saturday, the United Nations has said Gambari wants "meaningful discussions with all concerned on all the points raised during his last visit."



But there is still no word on whether Gambari will be granted a meeting with the reclusive head of state Senior General Than Shwe, or whether Aung San Suu Kyi will this time consent to meet with Gambari.

On Sunday, the UN negotiator met officials including Information Minister Kyaw Hsan and Foreign Minister Nyan Win in the commercial hub Yangon.

"He also met with relations minister Aung Kyi," said a government official who did not want to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media. He refused to reveal what was discussed.

Aung Kyi's appointment to coordinate junta contacts with Aung San Suu Kyi in October 2007 was seen as a major sop to the West after the violent suppression of anti-junta demonstrations in September that year.

But their last meeting was in January 2008, and Aung San Suu Kyi said soon after she was "not satisfied" with the way the dialogue was progressing.

Instead, the junta has forged ahead with its own "Roadmap to Democracy" which its says will lead to multi-party elections in 2010 but which dissidents deride as a sham as it does not include Aung San Suu Kyi.

She has been detained by the junta for most of the last 19 years, and surprised observers in August by refusing to meet Gambari, a move interpreted as a snub after he had failed to secure any political reform.

Myanmar government officials have said Gambari will likely meet with the Nobel peace prize winner on Monday, echoing the expectations of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.