U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan says the Burmese military government's plan for democracy will fail without input from the opposition National League for Democracy.
Mr. Annan released the statement Tuesday (today) after Burma's military-run court system turned down the first legal bid to have democratic opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi released after more than a year of detention.
Mr. Annan called on the government to release the Nobel laureate and allow U.N. Special Envoy Razali Ismail to return to Burma as soon as possible to continue helping Burma transition to democratic rule, as the government has promised to do.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since May of 2003 after a clash between her supporters and pro-government demonstrators.
Information for this report is provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.