Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has arrived in Rangoon to begin talks with Burma's ruling military government on energy, trade and terrorism.
The Indian president is scheduled to meet with top Burmese leaders, including Senior General Than Shwe, who is chairman of the so-called State Peace and Development Council that rules the country.
Indian Foreign Secretary Shayam Saran says they hope to reach an agreement to bring natural gas from Burma to India. The neighboring countries also plan to focus on efforts to eliminate operations in northeastern India by insurgents based in Burma.
In an interview with VOA Burmese Service, the director of the New Delhi-based Asian Center for Human Rights, Suhas Chakma, urged President Kalam to demand the release of Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. She has been in
jail or under house arrest for much of the past two decades.
Information for this report is provided by AFP.