LONDON (AFP) — Prime Minister Gordon Brown used International Women's Day on Saturday to press for the release of Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Brown's call came hours after the Nobel peace prize winner, who has spent 12 of the last 18 years under house arrest, was allowed a rare meeting with UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari.
"On International Women's Day, it's important to note that Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese leader, has been able to meet the UN representative Mr Gambari to talk about freedom for her country," Brown said.
"But what we want is that she is freed from house arrest for good, and all those political prisoners are released and she is allowed to stand in democratic elections in Burma where, after all, some years ago, she was elected to be leader of the country," Brown said, using the former name for Myanmar.
During Gambari's visit, Myanmar's junta rejected proposals to allow foreign observers at a referendum set for May, further dimming any hopes for reforms to bring Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) into their election plans.
Aung San Suu Kyi -- whose father negotiated Myanmar's independence from Britain, where she received her education -- led the NLD to a landslide victory in 1990 elections, but the result was never recognised by the regime.
Brown was speaking at a lunch at his Downing Street residence for International Women's Day, which was marked by a series of events worldwide.
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