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Reuters-FOCUS-NLD meets military as



FOCUS-NLD meets military as Suu Kyi stands firm 
09:00 a.m. Aug 18, 1998 Eastern 

By Aung Hla Tun 



YANGON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Senior members of Myanmar's military government
and the pro-democracy opposition met for the first time in more than a year
on Tuesday while opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi kept up a week-long
roadside protest. 



The head of Myanmar's military intelligence arm, Secretary One Khin Nyunt,
met Aung Shwe, the chairman of the opposition National League for Democracy
(NLD), for 45 minutes in the afternoon, government officials said. 



``We hope that this is the first in a series of confidence-building talks
between the government and the NLD,'' a government statement quoted Khin
Nyunt as saying. 



``We have had a fruitful meeting and we have also appreciated the NLD's
acceptance of our offer of a meeting.'' 



The statement did not say what was discussed at the meeting, which comes
ahead of a Friday deadline set by the NLD for the convening of a parliament
of members elected at a general election in 1990. 



The NLD won the poll by a landslide but the government ignored the result. 



During the meeting, Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, remained
stuck in a minivan on a country bridge 32 km (20 miles) southwest of Yangon
for a seventh day, having been prevented from driving to see supporters in
western Myanmar. 



She has refused government demands for her to return to Yangon and
diplomats say the protest has highlighted both her lack of freedom of
movement and the NLD's deadline. 



The government offered talks with the NLD on August 7 but the party turned
them down as they would have excluded Suu Kyi. 



The NLD, described by Myanmar's government-run newspapers on Monday as the
``Number One Enemy,'' confirmed that the meeting with the government had
taken place but gave no details. 



Diplomats said it was not clear why the opposition had changed its
position. 



The NLD said authorities permitted Suu Kyi's doctor to see her on Tuesday
to check on her health. It said she required a daily check up and
arrangements were being made for this. 



After a similar six-day stand off last month, which was forcibly ended by
the military, Aung San Suu Kyi suffered from dehydration and had to rest
for several days. 



A commentary published in three government-run newspapers on Tuesday
accused foreign governments and news organisations of colluding in Suu
Kyi's protest. 



It accused the Voice of America, the British Broadcasting Corp and Radio
Free Asia, of interfering in Myanmar's internal affairs by ``profusely
advocating the demand of the lady.'' 



``Some so-called diplomats and foreign correspondents, making arrangements
beforehand with so-called NLD leaders, spread invented and exaggerated
news, a pack of lies...,'' it said. 



``Some Western governments, with their eyes shut, shouted at the top of
their voice, protested and meddled,'' it said. 



The government has so far ignored the NLD's call for a parliament and has
ridiculed Suu Kyi's protest by sending gifts, including a beach umbrella. 



Diplomats say it appears to be trying to minimise Suu Kyi's impact by
making her protest look like a camping holiday. 



The government has accused the NLD of staging the protest to provoke unrest
among university students, who led a natiowide pro-democracy movement
crushed by the military 10 years ago. 



On Tuesday, more than 96,000 students, whose universities and colleges have
been closed since protests in late 1996, sat final examinations. Diplomats
and university officials said there were no signs of trouble.