Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi agreed at talks in Tokyo today to pressure Burmese junta over its detention of Aung San Suu Kyi.

"The current situation is not desirable," Abdullah said, according to a Japanese official.

"I want Myanmar (Burma) to understand this is not interference with domestic affairs, but an expression of concern as a friend and neighbour," he said in comments translated into Japanese.

Protective custody

Foreign ministers at an Asean meeting in Phnom Penh last month urged Burma to release the pro-democracy leader, a departure from its usual stance of not mentioning conditions in its member countries.

Koizumi stressed at the 30-minute meeting that Burma needed to democratise in order to receive new Japanese aid, after Tokyo told the regime last week it would be cut off.

"In order to create an environment that would enable us to provide such assistance, Burma needs to listen to the opinions of the United States, Europe, and the international community," Koizumi was quoted as saying by the official.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been held under what the junta calls "protective custody" since attacks on her supporters by a government-backed mob on May 30.

September meeting

Koizumi and Abdullah also confirmed plans to hold a meeting of government officials, academics and business leaders in September in Malaysia to enhance economic ties between the two countries, the official said.

The talks could include an aim to launch a free trade agreement.

Abdullah is to formally take over from Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in October, when the 77-year-old leader has pledged to retire after 22 years in power.

Asean groups Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. - AFP