Jul 2, 2009, 12:04 GMT
Yangon - Senior opposition leaders and political party representatives were escorted to Myanmar's military capital in Naypyitaw on Thursday in preparation for United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's visit to the country, sources said.
Altogether 25 political party leaders, including four members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition were driven to Naypyitaw, 350 kilometres north of Yangon, to meet with Ban, who will arrive Friday and depart on Saturday, according to military sources who asked to remain anonymous.
The NLD leaders included Nyunt Wai, Than Tun, Hla Pe and Soe Myint. There were 21 others representing the National Unity Party (NUNP)and other ethnic minority parties.
Ban will arrive in Naypyitaw, a six-hour drive by car from Yangon, on Friday, presumably by plane.
It is unclear whether Ban will be allowed to meet with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is currently being held at Yangon's infamous Insein Prison.
Ban last visited Myanmar in May, 2008, to hasten international aid to the country in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, which killed up to 150,000 people.
Ban's talks with Myanmar's senior leadership are expected to focus on a plea for the release of all political prisoners including Suu Kyi; resumption of dialogue between the government and opposition; and the need to create conditions conducive to credible elections planned in 2010.
'The secretary general believes that the sooner these issues are addressed, the earlier Myanmar will be able to move towards peace, democracy and prosperity. He looks forward to meeting all key stakeholders to discuss what further assistance the United Nations can offer to that end,' said in a UN statement on his visit.
The first day of Ban's visit will coincide with the resumption of the trial of Suu Kyi on charges of violating her house arrest, by allowing a US citizen to swim to her lakeside residence in Yangon.
Suu Kyi's case, being held at a special court set up in Yangon's Insein Prison, is scheduled to resume Friday with testimony from defence witness Khin Moe Moe, an attorney.
The trial began May 11. While the prosecution was allowed to present 14 witnesses in the first week, the defence was initially allowed only one. Later, Khin Moe Moe was permitted to testify.
Critics say the military junta is using the case as a pretext to keep the 1991 Nobel peace laureate in jail during a politically sensitive period, leading up to next year's general election.
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won the 1990 general election by a landslide but has been blocked from power by Myanmar's junta for the past 19 years.
The new trial of Suu Kyi, whose most recent six-year house arrest sentence expired May 27, has sparked a chorus of protests from world leaders and statements of concern from its regional allies in the Association of South-East Asian Nations.
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