Myanmar election needs Suu Kyi involvement, U.S. says

By Martin Petty

BANGKOK (Reuters) - It would be "very hard" for next year's elections in Myanmar to be legitimate without the involvement of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a senior United States official said on Thursday .

Deputy Assistant Secretary Scot Marciel, returning from a landmark two-day visit to the army-ruled country, said the release of the National League for Democracy (NLD) leader and other political detainees was critical for the polls to be considered fair and credible.

"I think an election without Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD, it would be very hard to see that as credible," Marciel told reporters in Bangkok.

The NLD, denied the chance to rule after a landslide win in the last elections in 1990, has yet to confirm whether it will participate in the polls.

"In the end, it's up to Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD to make that call," Marciel said.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner held captive for 14 of the last 20 years, was offered a rare chance to meet NLD committee members on Wednesday, but declined because its detained vice-chairman, Tin Oo, was excluded, state television reported.

Marciel declined comment on that development.

He stated repeatedly during a one-hour forum that Washington's objective was to encourage dialogue between the various camps inside Myanmar.