YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — The U.N.'s special envoy to Myanmar held talks Monday with the foreign minister, representatives of the International Red Cross and some of the country's ethnic minority groups, but has so far failed to meet the leader of the ruling junta, officials said. Security, meanwhile, was eased outside detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's home ahead of a possible meeting between her and the U.N. envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, according to diplomats who asked not to be named because they did not wish to openly breach protocol.

Gambari has sought access to all parties involved in his effort to end Myanmar's political crisis and promote democratic reform.

He met Monday for a second time with Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win, according to a statement from the U.N. office in Myanmar. The statement said they discussed future cooperation between the government and U.N. agencies in Myanmar, as well as the agenda for the rest of Gambari's visit, scheduled to end Thursday.

Details of Gambari's talks with Red Cross and ethnic minority representatives in Naypyitaw, the new remote capital north of Yangon, were not immediately available, said officials who were aware of the meetings but insisted on anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the press.

It was Gambari's second visit to Myanmar since the junta violently suppressed anti-government demonstrations led by Buddhist monks in September. The military fired on the peaceful protesters and said 10 people were killed, but diplomats and dissidents said the death toll was much higher. Thousands of people were detained.

It remained unclear whether he would meet with junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe. However, Gambari was expected to visit Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, for a possible meeting with Suu Kyi, the diplomats said.

He met both the junta leader and Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi on his previous visit at the beginning of October.

Security in front of Suu Kyi's lakeside home has been noticeably reduced in recent days, a possible indication that the junta wanted to appear less oppressive to the U.N. envoy, the diplomats and residents said.

On Sunday, Gambari, Win and Labor Minister Aung Kyi spoke at length about "an agreed upon framework for meaningful dialogue" between Suu Kyi and the military, the U.N. said. Aung Kyi was appointed last month as the government's liaison with Suu Kyi.

The U.N. gave no details of the framework, but said Gambari expected the initial steps would lead to an "acceleration of national reconciliation, the restoration of democracy and the full respect for human rights."

The atmosphere for Gambari's visit was clouded Friday, the day before his arrival, when the junta announced plans to expel the top U.N. official in the country, resident coordinator Charles Petrie.

It accused Petrie of going beyond his duties by criticizing the generals' failure to meet the economic and humanitarian needs of the people, and by saying this was the cause of September's mass pro-democracy protests.

There have been only two open demonstrations since the Sept. 26-27 crackdown.

On Saturday, about 50 Buddhist monks dispersed on orders of riot police and soldiers after a peaceful march through the ruby mining town of Mogok, residents reached by telephone said. The residents, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, said there were no immediate arrests.

Last Wednesday, more than 100 monks chanted prayers while marching in another northern town, Pakokku.

The U.S. and other Western countries shun the junta for its poor human rights record and failure to hand over power to Suu Kyi's party after it won national elections in 1990. They maintain diplomatic and economic sanctions against the regime, and block assistance from multilateral aid agencies such as the World Bank.

In neighboring Thailand, a visiting senior U.S. State Department official said Washington would judge the success of Gambari's mission on whether it produced concrete results.

"In particular, we are looking for direct dialogue between the government and the democracy activists and the ethnic minority groups, and we're also looking for progress on political prisoners," said Assistant Secretary of State Kristen Silverberg.

 

 

UN Envoy Meets With Red Cross in Myanmar