REGIME REJECTS UN. WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW?

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Myanmar rejects UN calls to amend draft constitution, step up dialogue with opposition
Myanmar's military government rejected U.N. suggestions for political reform Friday in a meeting with a visiting special envoy, state radio and television reported.
Information Minister Brig. Gen. Kyaw Hsan, who met with U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, said it was "impossible" to revise a government-drafted constitution that will be submitted to a national referendum in May, the evening news reported.
He also said the government had done enough to hold a dialogue with detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, head of the opposition National League for Democracy party.
Gambari arrived Thursday on his third trip to Myanmar since the junta's deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters in September sparked a global outcry.
His visit came amid growing concerns that the government is ignoring calls for political reform and is tightening its grip on power.
It was unclear whether Gambari would be able to meet with either Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, or junta chief Senior Gen. Than Shwe.
He met Friday with a group of government officials designated to hold talks with the U.N. envoy in place of Than Shwe.
Kyaw Hsan, the group's leader, was quoted saying that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had suggested in a Feb. 19 letter to Than Shwe that the junta open up the constitutional drafting process and hold a substantive dialogue with Suu Kyi.
"It is impossible to review or rewrite the constitution which was drawn with the participation of delegates from all walks of life. The draft constitution will be adopted in accordance with the decision by the people in the May constitutional referendum," Kyaw Hsan said.
Suu Kyi was not allowed to participate in a government-led commission that prepared guidelines for the new constitution, including a clause that prevents her from running for office.
Referring to suggestions that a timeline be set for progress in the dialogue with Suu Kyi, Kyaw Hsan noted the government had appointed a ministerial-level official to deal with her and had announced that Than Shwe would be willing to meet her if she gave up her "confrontational attitude" and stopped calling for sanctions against the junta.
The junta said last month that it would hold a constitutional referendum in May and general elections in 2010 _ the first specific dates for steps in a previously announced "roadmap to democracy."
Dissidents, diplomats and human rights groups have dismissed the roadmap as a sham designed to allow the perpetuation of military rule.
Kyaw Hsan said the junta will not accept any efforts to stall or derail the roadmap but will welcome "constructive participation" by the U.N. in its implementation. He did not elaborate.
Kyaw Hsan also accused Gambari of a breach of trust by releasing a statement from Suu Kyi after visiting her in November.
He expressed unhappiness with Gambari's trips to other countries in the region seeking their support for political reform in Myanmar, and warned that his role as an "impartial adviser" would be brought into question if he follows suggestions from Western nations.
Most Western countries shun the junta for its poor human rights record and failure to hand over power to Suu Kyi's party after it won the last general elections in 1990. Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962.