Suu Kyi meets Burma faithful
Friday, 09 Nov 2007 11:49
Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for much of the last 18 years
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Detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has met with members of her political party for the first time since 2004.
The National League for Democracy leader reportedly met three senior members of her party in a meeting which lasted for two-and-a-half hours.
A member of the military junta which has kept her under house arrest for 12 the last 18 years was present at the beginning of the meeting but left halfway through, the BBC reported.
The meeting, which follows years of isolation for the Nobel laureate, is the latest in a series of positive steps resulting from the efforts of United Nations envoy Ibrahim Gambari.
He released a statement on her behalf expressing her preparedness to work with the junta to further democracy in Burma.
"In the interest of the nation, I stand ready to cooperate with the government in order to make this process of dialogue a success," she said.
Yesterday Mr Gambari met with Ms Suu Kyi for the second time since pro-democracy protests were crushed at the end of September.
Observers believe the military junta will seek to hold on to its power in the country while looking to quell hostile international opinion by making minor concessions to democracy.