UN welcomes secret Burmese talks

Aung San Suu Kyi is under de facto house arrest

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has welcomed reports that Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been holding secret talks with senior representatives of the military government for several months.

Aung San Suu Kyi needs to be respected as a political leader and not as a 'little sister'

Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State

The news came as the two sides held their first publicly announced meeting in more than five years.

Those discussions coincided with a five-day mission by UN envoy Razali Ismail that included talks with both sides in the political deadlock.

Mr Ismail told the BBC that continuing contact between the military government and Aung San Suu Kyi's party was planned and the process of national reconciliation had begun.

"I think this [meeting] is extremely significant," Mr Razali said.

"It's what the UN and international community were hoping would happen and we're very glad this has taken place."

US pleased

The United States, one of Aung San Suu Kyi's strongest supporters, cautiously welcomed the news.

But Secretary of State Madeleine Albright warned that the military rulers must treat the Nobel Prize-winning democracy activist seriously.

"She needs to be respected as a political leader and not as, what was explained to me, a 'little sister' that they have to take care of by keeping her in her house", Mrs Albright said.

Mr Ismail's meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi was her first contact with an outside visitor in nearly three months; she is under virtual house arrest.

It is thought General Khin Nyunt was involved in talks

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide election victory in 1990, but the military refused to hand over power.

Optimism

Mr Razali declined to name the military leaders who met Aung San Suu Kyi, but said it was at a sufficiently high level that both sides were satisfied.

This is not a publicity stunt - these talks are being conducted with good faith on both sides

UN envoy Razali Ismail

Sources in Rangoon believe the military intelligence chief Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt was involved.

Although the UN has confirmed the meeting no one is divulging any details.

According to diplomats in Rangoon there is cautious optimism that the country's political deadlock is in the process of being broken.

They believe recent international pressure may have unsettled the country's military leaders and encouraged them to be more conciliatory towards Aung San Suu Kyi.

In November the International Labour Organisation demanded member countries consider adopting economic sanctions against Rangoon.

The Association of South East Asian Nations, to which Burma was admitted in 1997, has also played a constructive role.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who was in Rangoon last week, is understood to have told Burma's regime very forcefully that they needed to be more conciliatory.