External affairs minister S.M. Krishna has sought a meeting with Burmese pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, but New Delhi would not confirm on Sunday whether its request has been accepted. Mr Krishna, accompanied by foreign secretary Nirupama Rao and other officials, will visit Burma on June 20 and 21. The minister last visited Burma in December 2009.
The uncertainty about a possible meeting with Ms Suu Kyi was attributed to the terms of an agreement she was understood to have reached with the Burmese military regime prior to her release from house arrest in November 2010, one of which was that she would not meet foreign government leaders. If the Krishna-Suu Kyi meeting does take place, it will be the first high-level contact with the Burmese Opposition leader in over two decades.
A government source said Mr Krishna could be expected to discuss issues such as security, connectivity, and infrastructure projects in what will be the first visit to Burma by an Indian minister after the military junta handed over power on March 30, 2011 to a nominally civilian government. Specifically, the source said, New Delhi would be keen to understand the new Burmese government’s priorities and outlook.
Over the past few months foreign governments and organisations have reached out to Burma by sending special envoys or other officials. A European Union delegation was expected to visit Burma at around the same time as the Indian delegation.
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Indian Army team in China
Beijing, June 19: An eight-member Indian military delegation arrived in Beijing on Sunday on a week-long goodwill visit to China, marking the resumption of defence ties between the two Asian giants that were frozen for a year. —PTI