WHY REBUILD THE UNION OF BURMA?... Introduction: "?Secret Talks? between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), and the generals of the State peace and Development Council (SPDC) began in October 2000, and is still on-going. To date, no substantive matters have been discussed. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has in the past said that she will not make decisions without broader consultations and that she supports United Nations General Assembly resolutions calling for a ?Tripartite Dialogue? involving the military, the democracy forces and the non-Burman ethnic peoples.1 The international community very much wants the ?Secret Talks? to succeed and develop further into a political dialogue, which will bring about change in Burma. The UN Special Envoy has visited Burma four times since mid-2000 and is about to make another visit in August 2001. Most countries agree that a ?Tripartite Dialogue? is needed. However, there is the possibility that the ?Secret Talks? could break down. The fact that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi did not attend the 19 July Martyrs? Day Ceremony signals that all is not well despite the SPDC?s assurances to the contrary..."