United Nations special envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail, today said he was seeking clarification over the detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi before going ahead with a planned trip to the country.

"There are certain things I want to clarify with the government in Myanmar (*Burma) first," the former diplomat told AFP when asked whether he would go ahead with his trip.

"I am scheduled to go on Friday but I want to be clear about a few things first. I want to know what the situation is, it's not clear."

Razali refused to be drawn further on the situation, saying the UN had made its position "very clear" in a statement Monday.

Kofi's instruction

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has called for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior members of her National League for Democracy (NLD).

Annan had instructed Razali to talk to the Burmese government "in his capacity as facilitator," said Annan's spokesman Fred Eckhard.

Razali was due to talk to Aung San Suu Kyi and other national leaders during his June 6-10 visit, Eckhard said, "with a view to starting the process of national reconciliation."

The Burmese junta placed Aung San Suu Kyi "in protective custody" at the weekend after clashes occurred between NLD supporters and a pro-junta mob while she was on a political tour in the north of country.

The junta said four people had been killed and 50 injured during the violence.

Some 18 members of Aung San Suu Kyi's entourage were also detained, while the entire leadership of her opposition NLD was put under house arrest in capital city Rangoon.

Aung San Suu Kyi is currently being held in a military intelligence guest house in the capital at an undisclosed location.

Secret talks

Razali, whose last trip to Rangoon was in November last year, is credited with brokering secret talks between the military and Aung San Suu Kyi, which began in October 2000 and were aimed at promoting national reconciliation and political reforms.

The talks led to the release of Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest and freedom for some political prisoners, but otherwise had ground to a halt.

Razali himself has expressed frustration with the pace of change in Burma, admitting after his ninth mission in November that he was disappointed at the lack of progress in reviving the dialogue.

The United States, European Union, Britain, France and Australia, among other countries, have joined an international outcry over Aung San Suu Kyi's detention. - AFP

[*Note: Since 1989, Burma was renamed Myanmar by the military government. However, many (including malaysiakini ) have not embraced the name change as the decision was made by an illegal and illegitimate government.]