NEWS -Japan Urges Myanmar Dialogue

[Rangoonp@xxxxxxx]

Subject: NEWS -Japan Urges Myanmar Dialogue with Suu Kyi

Japan Urges Myanmar Dialogue with Suu Kyi

            Reuters
            21-JAN-99

            TOKYO, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Japan, one of the few world
            powers which still gives substantial aid to Myanmar, on
            Thursday urged the nation's military rulers to start a
dialogue
            with pro-democracy groups led by Nobel Peace Prize
            laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, a Japanese Foreign Ministry
            official said. 

            The official told reporters the request was made in a
"frank"
            exchange of views between Japanese State Foreign
            secretary Nobutaka Machimura and Brigadier General Kyaw
            Win, deputy president of the Office of Strategic Studies
            under the Myanmar Defence Ministry. 

            Win is believed to be the top aide to Lieutenant General
Khin
            Nyunt, the powerful Secretary One of Myanmar's ruling State
            Peace and Development Council. 

            Waiting for Win when he arrived at Japan's Foreign Ministry
            were about 25 pro-democracy supporters who shouted
            slogans denouncing the military, which refused to recognise
            a 1990 election victory by Suu Kyi's National League for
            democracy and has ruled the Southeast Asian nation with an
            iron fist ever since. 

            The group has vowed to stage protests throughout Win's
            11-day visit, which started on Wednesday. It has sent a
letter
            to Japanese Justice Minister Shozaburo Nakamura urging
            Tokyo to ban Myanmar military officials from visiting Japan. 

            Japan has taken a softer stance towards Myanmar's military
            than the United States, opting for engagement rather than
            sanctions. 

            Japanese officials have avoided the hardline approach
            favoured by the United States and most other Western
            powers, arguing that the military rulers are more likely to
            move towards democracy if links with the world are kept
            open through trade and aid. 

            In 1995, Tokyo lifted its 1988 freeze on economic aid after
            Suu Kyi was released from house arrest, announcing it
            would resume aid for humanitarian purposes. 


            The latest round of major aid programmes includes a 2.5
            billion yen ($22.1 million) loan in March 1998 to be used
for
            safety projects at Yangon Airport, and 800 million yen for a
            project to increase food production. 

            No new yen loans have yet been offered to Yangon and
            analysts said one of Win's missions was to sound out Tokyo
            about the possibility of resuming yen loans. 

            The most recent visit to Japan by a senior Myanmar
            government official was that by Deputy Prime Minister
            Rear-Admiral Maung Maung Khin in June 1998. 

            "The Japanese government is trying to improve its
            relationship with us although there is pressure from the
            United States and European nations not to," a Myanmar
            official, who declined to be named, told Reuters on
            Wednesday. 

            ($1-113 yen)