The ABC has been told Ms Suu Kyi left her Rangoon home this afternoon and was taken to a location nearby.

There she met Aung Kyi, the Burmese Labour Minister who has been given the task of bettering relations with the opposition. The meeting lasted 15 minutes.

It is the first time the sides have talked since the junta agreed this month to appoint a minister to negotiate with Ms Suu Kyi.

She won general elections in 1990 but has not been allowed to take office.

Pressure has been mounting on the junta to engage with pro-democracy groups after recent anti-government protests.

Hundreds of people are believed to have died in the military crackdown that followed the demonstrations. © 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation