AFP-Albright presses Asian counterp

[hlaing@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Albright presses Asian counterparts to support Aung San Suu Kyi
Wed 26 Aug 98 - 21:42 GMT 

WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (AFP) - US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
expressed concerns about Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in
recent telephone conversations with her Asian counterparts, a spokesman
said Wednesday.

Albright telephoned the foreign ministers of Indonesia, Japan, the
Philippines and Thailand over the weekend to discuss the situation in
Myanmar where Aung San Suu Kyi has been barred from traveling outside the
capital.

The opposition leader returned to Yangon after a 14-day standoff outside
the capital with security forces who prevented her from meeting with
supporters.

"She is currently regaining her strength from this ordeal," State
Department deputy spokesman James Foley said.

"It was very taxing on her, and we had some reason to worry about the
deteriorating state of her health," he said.

"Secretary Albright engaged in conversations over the telephone with a
number of her counterparts in Asia over the weekend because of this
concern," he added.

US embassy officials in Yangon plan to pay a visit to the Nobel prize
winner "as soon as her health permits," Foley said.

Armed riot police were deployed at strategic sites around the Myanmar
capital Wednesday as the ruling junta accused "subversive" opposition
forces of undermining national stability.


Wednesday marked the 10th anniversary of Aung San Suu Kyi's maiden
political speech, made at the Shwedagon Pagoda after her selection as a
National League for Democracy candidate.

The NLD won 1990 elections under Nobel prizewinner Aung San Suu Kyi but the
junta has not allowed parliament to convene, saying the election was merely
to choose drafters of a new constitution.

The opposition leader has said she will convene the parliament herself,
despite official warnings that such a move would be illegal.

Albright earlier this moment described the call for convening parliament as
a "moment of truth in our effort to promote dialogue in Burma", also known
as Myanmar.