UN Burma envoy in Rangoon

Aung San Suu Kyi: Confined since September

By regional analyst Larry Jagan

The United Nations special envoy for Burma, Razali Ismail, has begun a five day visit to Rangoon for talks with the country's military rulers.

He is also expected to meet opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is currently under virtual house arrest.

It is Mr Razali's third trip in nine months

UN sources say Mr Razali, a senior Malaysian diplomat, is confident he can help bridge the gap between the military and the opposition.

He arrives in Rangoon just as the Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad is about to leave after talks with Burma's leaders on economic and political issues.

Deadlock

This is Mr Razali's third visit since the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed him in April last year.

The UN has been involved in trying to break the deadlock between Burma's military leaders and the pro-democracy opposition for more than ten years.

Mr Mahathir is one of Burma's strongest allies

But successive envoys, including a human rights rapporteur, have made little progress in getting the two sides to talk.

Mr Razali is believed to be prepared to talk tough with Burma's generals on this trip.

He is expected to urge them to be more conciliatory towards Aung San Suu Kyi, and consider establishing some form of dialogue with her opposition National League for Democracy (NLD).

Government sources in Kuala Lumpur say Mr Mahathir has strongly urged Burma's military leaders to be less intransigent during his visit.

Democracy

Mr Razali has been assurred that he will have access to the opposition leader during his visit.

This has led to speculation that the restrictions on Aung San Suu Kyi may be eased as a gesture to the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).

According to sources close to Mr Razali, he saw his previous visits as familiarisation and fact-finding trips.

This time he wants to get down to business and discuss concrete ideas with both parties that might resolve the political deadlock.

He will be trying to convince Burma's generals that economic development and democracy go hand in hand.

But Burma's military rulers have steadfastly refused to hand over power to a civilian government even though the NLD won the national elections ten years ago.

So far they have ignored Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD's frequent appeals for the military to enter a meaningful dialogue on the country's political future.