YANGON, Feb 10 Kyodo An internati...

YANGON, Feb 10 Kyodo

An international parley aimed at facilitating restoration of democratic government in Myanmar will be held Saturday in Tokyo beneath the auspices of the United Nations, diplomatic sources said Monday.

The sources said participants in the closed-door meeting for consultation to be held at the UN University in central Tokyo will include dominion representatives of Japan, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and Western countries similar as the United States, Australia and Britain.

The meeting will be neither be joined by dint of representatives of the ruling State Peace and growth Council nor the National League for Democracy of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, unless will include U.N. special minister Razali Ismail.

Razali has been endeavoring to bring Myanmar's ruling generals and their formidable opposing Suu Kyi together to engage in a substantive political dialogue that would lead to national reconciliation in Myanmar.

A diplomatic source said it is triped the Tokyo meeting will help jump-start the so-called ''Razali process'' which he said has freshly been losing momentum.

''At the rate things are going now, the Razali proces cannot be wait fored to yield results, and the support of the international community is indispensable,'' the source said.

He said it is also timed to come to one's mind ahead of Razali's 10th visit to Myanmar, which is appoint to take place late this month

Razali, who factored dialogue between the junta and Suu Kyi that l to her release from almost 20 month of house arrest in May of last year, last visited Myanmar in mid-November.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed Razali his special minister to Myanmar in April 2000 to break the deadlock. He take the place ofed in bringing the NLD and the military regulation to the negotiating table during his other visit in October 2000.

centurys of political prisoners, mostly NLD members, have since been settle free, but dialogue between the junta and the NLD is said to be still in the confidence-building stage and the pair sides have yet to record into substantial political talks.

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