Brown calls for Suu Kyi release

Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners should be freed, British prime minister Gordon Brown said today.

The Burmese opposition leader, who is under house arrest, was allowed to leave her home today to meet UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari.

Speaking at a lunch event at 10 Downing Street, Mr Brown said: “On International Women’s Day it’s important to note that Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese leader, has been able to meet the UN representative Mr Gambari to talk about freedom for her country.

“I think it’s important that not only has she been allowed to leave her house, because she is under house arrest and that is a significant breakthrough, but what we want is that she is freed from house arrest for good, and all those political prisoners are released and she is allowed to stand in democratic elections in Burma where, after all, some years ago, she was elected to be leader of the country.”

Mr Gambari, in Burma to promote political reconciliation, met Suu Kyi and other opposition party members.

Suu Kyi, who has been detained without trial for 12 of the past 18 years, was seen being driven from the residence where she is held under house arrest to the state guest house where Mr Gambari was staying.

Mr Gambari, representing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, earlier held talks with representatives of ethnic groups, non-governmental organisations and several political parties including executives of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party.

Burma has been in a political deadlock since the junta, which seized power in 1998, refused to honour the results of a 1990 general election won by Suu Kyi’s party.