UN chief dismayed over visit ban

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he is "deeply disappointed" after the Burma junta rejected his second and final request to meet jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Mr Ban met with Senior General Than Shwe for a second and inconclusive round of talks.

Mr Ban told reporters after the meeting: "I'm deeply disappointed." He said he was sorry to report that it is "not possible" for him to see the jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner.

The UN chief had earlier described his two-day trip to Burma as "a very tough mission" to try to win freedom for Ms Suu Kyi.

Ms Suu Kyi is on trial for violating her lengthy house arrest and could face five years in prison in a trial that has sparked global outrage.