August 24, 2008	Sunday	Sha'aban 21, 1429

BANGKOK, Aug 23: Myanmar’s detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi refused to meet with visiting UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari, state television said on Saturday, leaving him little to show for his six-day mission.

Gambari flew to Yangon hoping to revive talks between the Nobel Peace Prize winner and the military regime, but he was shunned by her and by the junta’s senior leadership.

Aung San Suu Kyi ignored pleas by two of Gambari’s aides for her to speak with him, state TV said, showing images of the pair waiting in vain outside the gate to her house, where she has been confined for most of the last 19 years.

“Although plans were made during Mr Gambari’s visit for him to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi on Aug 20, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi refused to meet him,” it said, using an honorific before her name.

The broadcast also showed Myanmar officials shouting into a megaphone, saying, “Mr Gambari wants to meet you.” But the report said Aung San Suu Kyi never acknowledged any of their efforts to speak with her.

Her apparent rejection of Gambari’s mediation highlights the political stalemate in Myanmar, which has been ruled by the military since 1962.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide in 1990 elections, but was never allowed to govern.

The regime instead unveiled its own “road map” to democracy, and after more than a decade of delays, has drafted a new constitution that was approved in a referendum in May. The junta says the charter will set the stage for new polls in 2010.

But the NLD has derided the process as meaningless, accusing the regime of rigging its 92 per cent victory in the referendum and demanding the generals open talks with Aung San Suu Kyi and the country’s many ethnic minorities.

Gambari had initially made some progress in the wake of Myanmar’s deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks last September.

Seeking to soothe international outrage at the bloodshed, the generals appointed a liaison to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi.

But the two have not met since January, when the opposition leader complained about the slow pace of their talks.

On Gambari’s last visit in March, the junta openly rebuffed all of his calls for political reform, while junta leader Than Shwe refused to see him.

This trip was even worse, analysts said.

Gambari did meet early on Saturday with Prime Minister Thein Sein, only after he extended his trip by a day. But Thein Sein is not a senior member of the junta and has little influence over decisionmaking.

“It’s a failure. The prime minister is not a powerful person who can make a decision to revive the talks. The worst thing is not being able to see Aung San Suu Kyi,” said Thailand-based Myanmar analyst Win Min.

“For Gambari, this time he will be very disappointed... I think it will be very difficult for him to continue the mission,” Win Min added.

The UN envoy held two meetings with NLD leaders during his stay in the country formerly known as Burma.

“Last time she met him but there has been no progress since then....She won’t want to be used for Gambari to say his mission is working,” Win Min said.—AFP