Reuters-UN official arrives in Myan

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Subject: Reuters-UN official arrives in Myanmar for talks 

UN official arrives in Myanmar for talks
08:08 a.m. Oct 14, 1999 Eastern
By Aung Hla Tun

YANGON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - A senior U.N. official arrived in Myanmar on
Thursday on a delicate mission to promote dialogue between Yangon's ruling
military and the opposition led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Accompanied by World Bank and International Monetary Fund representatives,
assistant U.N. secretary-general for political affairs Alvaro de Soto held
meetings with Foreign Minister Win Aung and his officials in Yangon.

``He will meet government officials as well as political parties,'' a
government spokesman told Reuters. He declined to give details of de Soto's
visit which ends on Monday.

De Soto is also set to meet top leaders of the military government,
including the powerful intelligence chief Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt, and
Suu Kyi and other political party heads during his visit.

The official's visit follows a request by the U.N. Assembly to Annan to try
and end Myanmar's isolation by persuading the government to negotiate with
the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Suu Kyi.

De Soto, who has visited the country about five times, is an emissary of
Secretary-General Kofi Annan and will submit a report to the U.N. General
Assembly after his trip.

The U.N. assembly, as well as Western countries led by the United States and
the European Union, has condemned Myanmar, formerly Burma, for severe human
rights violations ranging from forced labour to torture of prisoners, mainly
students, professionals and academics.

Yangon earlier this year postponed a visit by De Soto but gave no reason for
it. New arrangements were worked out last month when Myanmar's foreign
minister attended the annual General Assembly debate.

De Soto last visited Myanmar a year ago at which time he raised the
possibility of World Bank development aid if the government initiated a
dialogue with the opposition.

So far the military has refused to negotiate with Suu Kyi's party unless she
disbands a committee designed to represent parliament, a challenge to its
rule.

The NLD won the country's last election in 1990 but the military ignored the
results and has since tried to silence the party through arrests and
intimidation.