Date:10/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/10/stories/2007111061641600.htm

International

Suu Kyi to ‘cooperate’ with junta

P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE: Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s celebrated democracy campaigner and Nobel Peace Laureate, has expressed her willingness to “cooperate” with the country’s ruling junta under “the good offices of the United Nations.”

This was indicated by U.N. Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari in Singapore on Thursday night. Mr. Gambari was on his way back to New York after his second Security Council-authorised mission to Myanmar since its military crackdown on protesters.

Following Ms. Suu Kyi’s offer, seen by observers as a breakthrough, the military regime, known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), allowed her to confer with top functionaries of her National League for Democracy (NLD) in Yangon on Friday.

The SPDC had earlier indicated to Mr. Gambari that its Liaison Officer for talks with Ms. Suu Kyi would also meet her, for the second time now, to push for “national reconciliation”. There was no immediate indication about how the SPDC would now like to treat the NLD and Ms. Suu Kyi, who has spent nearly 12 out of the past 18 years in some form of imprisonment. Mr. Gambari quoted Ms. Suu Kyi as having said that she “stand[s] ready to cooperate with the government in order to make this process of dialogue a success.”

She also “welcome[d] the necessary good offices role of the United Nations to help facilitate [her] efforts in this regard.”

In an apparent reference to the “conditions” imposed by the junta for talks with her, she said she was “committed to pursue the path of dialogue constructively.”