France urges junta to give Suu Kyi

[hlaing@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

France urges junta to give Suu Kyi more freedom 
09:59 a.m. Jul 30, 1998 Eastern 

PARIS, July 30 (Reuters) - France urged Myanmar's military junta on
Thursday to open talks with the pro-democracy opposition and to give Nobel
peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi greater freedom of movement and
expression. 

``France is deeply worried about the situation in the Myanmar Republic. It
deplores that the Myanmar authorities have not responded to calls from the
international community, and notably the European Union, to open
dialogue,'' the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 

``France renews its call on the Myanmar authorities to revoke restrictive
measures imposed on political leaders, notably Mrs Aung San Suu Kyi...Her
physical safety is of great concern to the international community,'' it
added. 

Myanmar's military said on Thursday it had removed Suu Kyi from her car
where she had been staging a sit-in protest since last Friday after
security officials stopped her vehicle and prevented her from proceeding to
western Pathein Township. 

U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has criticised the military's
action as ``an unacceptable violation of (Suu Kyi's) human rights.'' 

Suu Kyi, leader of the main opposition party, the National League for
Democracy (NLD), has been banned from travelling freely for many years.