UN chief 'disappointed' as Myanmar govt blocks meeting Suu Kyi

Last Updated: Saturday, July 04, 2009, 10:38

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UN chief `disappointed` as Myanmar govt blocks meeting Suu Kyi

Naypyidaw, July 04: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was "deeply disappointed" after the chief of Myanmar's military junta on Saturday refused to let him meet pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ban announced the regime's decision after holding a second meeting with reclusive military supremo Than Shwe in the bunker-like capital Naypyidaw on the second and final day of his visit to the country.

"I am deeply disappointed," Ban told reporters as he boarded a plane for Yangon. "It is a setback for the international community and it is a missed opportunity for the Myanmar authorities."

He said that Than Shwe had cited the fact that Aung San Suu Kyi is currently on trial as the reason for denying the visit. She faces up to five years in jail if convicted on charges of violating her house arrest.

The refusal will add fire to critics of Ban's visit to Myanmar, which had been considered diplomatically risky because of its timing during her trial and the likelihood that the ruling generals would fail to offer concessions.

Ban had pushed the iron-fisted Than Shwe yesterday to release all political prisoners including the 64-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi ahead of elections promised by the ruling generals in 2010. Rights groups had warned that his visit would be considered a major failure unless he managed to win her freedom.

Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was transferred from house arrest to Yangon's notorious Insein prison in May to face trial after an American man swam uninvited to her lakeside house.

Bureau Report

First Published: Saturday, July 04, 2009, 10:38