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YANGON: Myanmar's democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi met for one hour Friday with a government official, in what her party described as a positive sign nearly two months after her last contact with the military government.
The Nobel peace prize winner was taken from her rambling lakeside home in Yangon, where she has been held under house arrest for a total of 12 years, to meet Labour Minister Aung Kyi at a nearby military facility, Myanmar officials said.
He was appointed by the military rulers to handle contacts with Aung San Suu Kyi in the wake of the government's deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks in September.
Security was tight around the facility, and government officials declined to say what was discussed.
It was the fourth meeting between the pair since the military opened fire on peaceful protesters in the streets of Yangon, leaving at least 31 dead and 74 missing, according to a UN report.
The two last met on November 19 and have had no known contacts since then, despite intense international pressure on the military rulers, including a raft of new sanctions on the military leadership imposed by the United States and the European Union.
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) said it had received no information about the meeting, but spokesman Nyan Win said he hoped she would also be allowed to meet with her supporters.
"It's a positive sign if they really met," he told AFP. "They have to talk."
Aung San Suu Kyi was allowed to meet with four NLD officials on November 9, but the party has had no direct contact with her since then.
She has been confined to her home for 12 of the last 18 years. She led the NLD to a landslide victory in 1990, but the result has never been recognised by the military government, which has instead tried to silence her.
Myanmar analysts based in neighbouring Thailand also questioned if the talks were making any progress.
"It is good at least the military government is talking to Aung San Suu Kyi," said Aung Naing Oo, a Thailand-based Myanmar analyst.
"But the question is how long will they continue talking? So far we have not seen any progress, and the military can continue talking to Aung San Suu Kyi for two or three years without making any commitment and progress," he told AFP.
"The military government is keeping the dialogue just to show the international community that they are talking to Aung San Suu Kyi."
Since the crackdown on the protesters, Myanmar has faced mounting international pressure to reform.
In December, US President George W. Bush threatened to spearhead a global campaign to step up sanctions against Myanmar if it continued to ignore calls for a democratic transition.
- AFP/ir
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