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UN envoy to visit Myanmar next week in bid to spur national reconciliation

UN envoy to visit Myanmar next week in bid to spur national reconciliation

A United Nations special envoy, whose trip in March to Myanmar was postponed at the request of Yangon, is now scheduled to visit the country next week to continue efforts to help facilitate the national reconciliation process, a UN spokesman announced today.

Razali Ismail, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Envoy for Myanmar, is expected to be in Yangon from 23 to 26 April.

During his four-day visit, Mr. Razali is slated to meet with senior government leaders, including Senior General Than Shwe, Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).

Also on the agenda are talks with senior members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), including its General Secretary, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

"The Secretary-General hopes that Mr. Razali's mission will provide the process with a fresh momentum to assist the two sides to develop their confidence-building talks into a more substantive dialogue in the near future," the spokesman said in a statement.