BURMA:Burma's military junta has appointed a deputy minister to negotiate with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on the regime's offer of direct talks, state television said yesterday.
Aung Kyi, a major general who became deputy labour minister last year, would "make contact and deal with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the future", MRTV said, without giving further details.
After the largest anti-junta protests in almost 20 years, Senior Gen Than Shwe, whose loathing for Ms Suu Kyi is well known, offered direct talks if she abandoned "confrontation" and support for sanctions and "utter devastation". There was no reaction from Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) to Aung Kyi's appointment. But NLD spokesman Nyan Win has said Gen Shwe's offer could lead to talks about talks.
Analysts caution against optimism. "It's too early to assess this gambit by the regime. It comes at a time of mounting pressure from the international community. We need to wait for further movement," said a retired professor.
There has been no word from Ms Suu Kyi (62), who is confined to her house in Rangoon.