A lawyer for Burma's detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi says
she has been informed of the upcoming visit of two senior U.S.
officials and is preparing to meet them.
The U.S. State
Department said Friday that Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell
and his deputy, Scot Marciel, will visit Burma for two days next week
(November 3 and 4). Spokesman Robert Wood says the two will meet with
members of the government as well as the opposition, including Aung San
Suu Kyi.
Her lawyer, Nyan Win, who also is a spokesman for the
opposition National League for Democracy, told reporters Saturday that
the U.S. embassy in Rangoon is making arrangements with the party for
the meeting.
The United States and the United Nations are
pressing Burma to release all political prisoners so they can
participate in next year's election. But rights groups say Burmese
authorities have arrested more opponents of the regime in just the past
two weeks, including about 10 local journalists.
Burma is
still holding hundreds of political prisoners. Aung San Suu Kyi has
spent 14 of the past 20 years under some form of detention. Her house
arrest was extended by an additional 18 months in August for allowing
an uninvited American man to stay at her home without official
permission.
U.S. Senator Jim Webb held a landmark meeting with
Burma's military leader Than Shwe in August. He also was permitted to
visit with Aung San Suu Kyi.
Critics have said high-level U.S.
visits from other countries give legitimacy to the military regime that
jails opponents. Aung San Suu Kyi has recently backed direct dialogue
with the military government.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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Burmese Party Leader: Suu Kyi Expects Meeting With US Officials
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