Burma's foreign minister says detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is in good condition after surgery and will be freed "eventually."
Win Aung made the comment after arriving in Indonesia's resort island of Bali for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, which opens Tuesday.
The leader of the National League for Democracy was placed under house arrest after surgery last month at a Rangoon hospital. The 58-year-old Nobel peace laureate has been detained since late May, following a violent clash between her supporters and government groups.
Burma has been facing increasing international pressure to free Aung San Suu Kyi. Indonesia, Thailand and a United Nations special envoy (Razali Ismail) all have tried and failed to secure a date for her release.
ASEAN members have been pressing Burma's military leaders to end her detention, saying the issue threatens to overshadow the Bali summit.
However, a Burmese newspaper (Myanmar Times) quotes a senior Rangoon official as saying she will not be freed before the meeting. Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win is quoted as saying said Burma's military is well prepared to explain the country's internal political situation to other ASEAN members.
Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi both are expected to hold talks with Burmese Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt about the opposition leader's situation.
The United States and the European Union also have called for Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom, and have imposed economic sanctions against Rangoon.
Information for this report is provided by AP and AFP.