Burmese talks welcomed, but with skepticism

There's been a positive reaction to the announcement of talks between the Burmese pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and the country's military government.

A spokesman for the Burmese government in exile Maung Maung Aye said that he hoped the meetings would build trust between the two sides, and support true dialogue to achieve national reconciliation.

A Thailand-based dissident group, the All Burma Students Democratic Front, has called the talks a historic breakthrough.

But the United States secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, has added a note of caution, warning that it was necessary to wait and see whether the Burmese government was offering genuine dialogue.

The meetings are the first between the two sides since 1994.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service