Ban arrives in Myanmar

Yangon, April 29 (IANS) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived here Sunday on a three-day official visit to Myanmar.

Ban will meet President U Thein Sein in Nay Pyi Taw Monday to discuss the country's ongoing reform process. This is his third official visit to the country.

He will meet Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), and the recently elected members of parliament, in Yangon, Xinhua reported.

Ban arrived here after concluding his official visit to India during which he met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior officials.

"Myanmar is only at the beginning of its transition and many challenges lie ahead, many concerns have yet to be addressed yet I am convinced that we have an unprecedented opportunity to help the country advance towards a better future," Ban said before his arrival here.

He congratulated Myanmar on holding successful by-elections April 1, stressing the free participation of multiple parties in the polls is an important step forward. Suu Kyi's NLD had won 43 of the 45 seats in the elections.

The poll was observed by foreign diplomats and UN officials based in Myanmar as well as more than 150 international observers and media representatives from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the European Union and the US.