UN chief to lobby Burma for Suu Kyi release

July 03, 2009|Associated Press

RANGOON, Burma - The UN secretary general said he planned to lobby Burma’s junta chief directly today for the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, acknowledging that his high-profile mission will be “very difficult.’’

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Burma for meetings with leaders on the same day that Suu Kyi’s widely criticized trial resumes. The UN chief’s visit magnifies the international spotlight on the trial, which has been delayed for a month but is expected to wrap up quickly after a final defense witness takes the stand today.

If Ban is allowed to meet with Suu Kyi, he will be the first UN secretary general to do so since her first period of detention started in 1989.

The 64-year-old Nobel Peace laureate is charged with violating the terms of her house arrest when an uninvited American man swam secretly to her lakeside home. She has pleaded not guilty but faces five years in prison if convicted.

The trial has prompted an outpouring of outrage from world leaders, Hollywood celebrities, other Nobel laureates, and human rights groups.

Ban was scheduled to fly to Naypyitaw, the remote administrative capital, for talks with the country’s leaders, including a one-hour session with the junta chief, Senior General Than Shwe.

“I’m going to argue for the release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi,’’ Ban said yesterday in Singapore, adding that he plans to “raise her case directly’’ with Than Shwe.