Shwe reported willing to meet Suu Kyi

YANGON, Myanmar, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- The head of the military junta in Myanmar told a U.N. envoy he would meet with dissident leader Aung San Suu Kyi if she drops support for sanctions.

Gen. Than Shwe also said Suu Kyi must have a less confrontational attitude, the BBC reported.

Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma, has been hit by a wave of protests spearheaded by Buddhist monks. The government admits arresting 2,093 people, while the BBC said its sources inside the country put the number of arrests far higher.

Ibrahim Gambari, the U.N. envoy, met with Suu Kyi twice, before and after his meeting with Shwe.

Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s best-known dissident leader and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, has been under house arrest for years. Shwe is said to have been unable to mention her name because of his dislike, the BBC reports.

After a previous series of protests, the government allowed elections but refused to recognize the results when Suu Kyi’s party won.