U.S. LOOKS TO HELP SUU KYI

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U.S. LOOKS TO HELP SUU KYI

George Gedda
Associated Press

Washington--

The Clinton administration is considering measures to pressure
Burma to open talks with Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel peace laureate
and dissident leader who has been under house arrest since 1989,
officials say.

The measures include a US campaign in the United Nations for an
arms embargo against Burma and for the appointment of a special UN
envoy to intercede on Suu Kyi's behalf with Burmese authorities.

The United States and the European Union have refrained for years
from selling arms to Burma but US officials suspect that China is
a weapons supplier to Burma's military rulers.

US officials have had discussions with UN Secretary General Boutros
Boutros-Ghali about the possible appointment of a special envoy but
no decisions have been made.

The continued detention of Suu Kyi is part of a pattern of alleged
abuses in Burma highlighted in a recent UN report.

The report said Burmese soldiers frequently use executions,
torture, rape and other atrocities against villagers, especially
those belonging to ethnic minorities.

Suu Kyi headed a 1988 pro-democracy uprising that was brutally
suppressed by troops.  Two years later, her National League for
Democracy scored a landslide election victory that the Burmese
junta refused to recognize.

A month ago, US Rep. Bill Richardson became the first non-family
member to visit Suu Kyi since she was placed under house arrest.

The decision by the Burmese military to allow the visit, coupled
with its release of about 2,000 prisoners have hope to some that
Burmese authorities were reassessing their hard-line policies.

Richardson has strongly advocated that the military open a dialogue
with Suu Kyi but Burmese officials recently indicated that no such
step is being contemplated over the short term.

On Tuesday, Richardson said in a phone interview that a get-tough
policy toward Burma was appropriate under the circumstances.

"An international arms embargo should be considered if there is
further retrenchment, if they totally refuse talks with Aung San
Suu Kyi.  But I'm not sure that's happened.  I think there is still
faint hope," he said.