Suu Kyi Reportedly Refuses to Meet Gambari

Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is reportedly refusing to meet UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari because she’s unhappy with the way his mission is being organized and carried out.

An official of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) said: “We heard that she is unhappy with the atmosphere of the Gambari trip.”

Sources suggested that Suu Kyi wanted to make it clear to Gambari that she thought he should also meet Than Shwe and urge the junta leader to begin substantive talks.

The NLD official said Suu Kyi might also have been unhappy with the regime’s organization of a meeting lasting only 20 minutes between Gambari and the NLD central executive committee on Wednesday, the third day of his five-day visit to Burma.

At Gambari’s request, the envoy had another, longer meeting with five NLD central executive committee members of the NLD at a government’s house in Rangoon, said Win Naing, a leading NLD member.

Others attending the meeting were Chairman Aung Shwe, Secretary U Lwin, Than Htun, Soe Myint and Nyunt Wai.

NLD Spokesman Nyan Win said Gambari discussed his mission with the group. Sources said Gambari plans to extend his stay in Burma by one more day in an attempt to meet Suu Kyi.

On Friday morning, two Gambari aides were seen by neighbors outside the gate of Suu Kyi's residence, shouting Gambari's name. They left when nobody came out to meet them, according to the Associated Press.

During the meeting with NLD executive committee members on Wednesday, Gambari said he would urge the junta to make sure the general election planned for 2010 would be free and fair.   

Ohn Kyaing, a leading member of the NLD, said Gambari made no reply when tackled about the 1990 election, the result of which had been ignored by the regime.

In the 1990 election, NLD candidates won 82 percent of the parliamentary seats, but the results were not honored by the military government which continued to retain power.

In July, the Burmese regime urged the NLD to forget the results of the 1990 election and to form a new political party to contest the 2010 election.