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"Top Burmese officials meet members



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Subject: "Top Burmese officials meet members of Suu Kyi's party"

Top Burmese officials meet members of Suu Kyi's party
The Asian Age
July 18,1997

Rangoon, July 17: Burmese strongman Lt. Gen Khin Nyunt met the chairman of
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party
on Thursday but the gathering did not signal the start of a political
dialogue between the two, government and NLD officials said.

The meeting between secretary one of the ruling State Law and Order
Restoration Council and NLD chairman Aung Shwe and two other senior
members was the first between top military rulers and the Opposition since
Ms Suu Kyi was released from six years of house arrest in July 1995.

NLD officials said the meeting was to explain to the Slorc that the party
and Ms Suu Kyi were not involved in terrorist activities and that they had
not received foreign financial assistance from some Western countries as
alleged by the junta last month. 

In June, Lt. Gen Khin Nyunt had accused the NLD of accepting $85,200 from
two covert US agents earlier this year. He had also linked the NLD and
exiled Opposition groups to recent bombings in Rangoon. The NLD has
denied the charges.

"Yes, They(NLD leader) went to talk and explain their opposition to the
officials. But this was not a dialogue with the Slorc. Without Suu Kyi
include any talks would not be a dialogue," said NLD's vice-chairman.
"But we welcome talks. We would also welcome any dialogue with the Slorc
if it is in the genuine spirit of reconciliation," the chairman said.

It was not immediately clear why Ms Suu Kyi was absent from the meeting. A
Slorc spokesman said the discussion were held in a cordial atmosphere and
they centred on the current political and some other situation in the
country.

When asked if he would call this the start of a diolague between the two
sides, the spokesman said: " I won't term it that way."

The Slorc had detained and later released thousands of NLD members and
curbed the party's political activities. An NLD statement issued after
the meeting said that Lt. Gen Khin Nyunt had advised the NLD and Ms Suu Kyi
not to create unnecessary unrest or disturbances and not to confront the
Slorc or obstruct it activities.

" Aung Shwe explained to Khin Nyunt that the NLD does not accept foreign
assistance on principle. Aung Shwe also suggested to Khin Nyunt that it
would be good for him to meet Suu Kyi," the statement said.

A local polotical analyst welcomed the meeting between the two sides and
said it was a positive development. "It shows that there nmay still be
hope for dialogue. Slorc is ready to sit at the table with the NLD but
not Suu Kyi," the analyst added.

Meanwhile, an association of BUrmese monks has called on Rangoon to
relaese detained monks, announce the number killed in repression and admit
that an important Buddha image was vandalised.

The association accused teh junta, in a statement on Thursday, of having
arrested over 400 Buddhist monks, mostly in Rangoon. (Reuter)