UN special envoy leaves Myanmar after snub by junta generals

Feb 3, 2009, 12:56 GMT

   Yangon - United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari left Myanmar Tuesday after being snubbed for the second time by the country's top leadership.

   Gambari departed on a Silk Air flight to Singapore Tuesday evening. He was scheduled to fly Tuesday to Naypyitaw, the military's headquarters 350 kilometres north of Yangon, but cancelled the trip for unknown reasons.

   On his last trip to Myanmar in August, Myanmar's junta chief Senior General Than Shwe refused to meet Gambari, prompting opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to also deny the special envoy an audience.

   Suu Kyi let in be known that there was no need to meet Gambari if he could not even persuade Than Shwe to talk to him.

   This trip, Gambari had better luck with Suu Kyi, who met the UN envoy on Monday along with five senior leaders of her National League for Democracy opposition party.

   Suu Kyi and her colleagues presented four conditions for national reconciliation, including the liberty of all political prisoners, a committee to review the constitution, convening of parliament and starting a political dialogue with the junta.

   The demands probably irked Than Shwe, government sources speculated.

   Gambari, who arrived in Yangon Saturday, was in Myanmar to push for a solution to the country's political stalemate.

   Informed sources said Gambari's trip was designed to test the waters for a potential visit by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.