Burma's military set for new talks

Aung San Suu Kyi says she is optimistic

Burma's military government has said it will soon resume national reconciliation talks with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was freed from house arrest earlier this week.

The two sides have been in secretive United Nations brokered talks since October 2000, while Aung San Suu Kyi was confined to her Rangoon home.

If we didn't have confidence in each other from the beginning, the dialogue would not have started in the first place

Major General Kyaw Win

Her National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in 1990 elections but the military refused to hand over power.

But the junta has come under increasing pressure in recent months, as the international community has threatened tougher trade sanctions unless Burma reforms.

"Talks aimed at national reconciliation between Aung San Suu Kyi and the military authorities will be resuming very soon," deputy chief of military intelligence Major General Kyaw Win told reporters on Thursday.

However, no timetable was set.

US visa row

His comments were the first official statement on the dialogue since the Nobel peace laureate was freed on Monday from nearly 20 months under house arrest.

Top General Than Shwe has kept quiet

Aung San Suu Kyi said after her release that the initial "confidence-building" phase of the talks had been completed, and they would now begin tackling policy issues.

But Kyaw Win refused to confirm that.

"If we didn't have confidence in each other from the beginning, the dialogue would not have started in the first place," he told reporters.

The US welcomed the release of Aung San Suu Kyi but has called for major changes before it will lift sanctions, including an arms embargo and an investment ban.

But there has been some anger in the US over the decision to waive a visa ban to allow a senior member of Burma's military regime to attend a drugs conference in Washington next week.

US Congressman, Tom Lantos, a senior member of the foreign affairs committee, said the move was a "profound mistake" and accused the Bush administration of prematurely softening its stance on Burma.

The US State Department said the visit by Colonel Kyaw Thein, who runs Burma's anti-drugs operation, had been planned for some time and was not related to Aung San Suu Kyi's release.