United Nations - The UN's special envoy to Myanmar has confirmed that the military junta and the opposition have been holding direct talks since October, the UN spokesman said yesterday. Mr Fred Eckhard said the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, "reiterates his call for the two sides to seize the momentum and work for national reconciliation."
Mr Annan's envoy, Mr Razali Ismail, left Yangon yesterday after a five-day visit during which he held talks with government officials and with the opposition leader, Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest.