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World Council of Churches
Press Release
For Immediate Use
8 November 1996

      AUNG SAN SUU KYI SCHEDULED TO ATTEND WCC MEETING IN BURMA

Despite a continuing unstable situation in Burma (Myanmar), the
World Council of Churches (WCC) is still hopeful the country's
opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi, will attend a WCC meeting in Rangoon (Yangon) next week
(15-16 November).

Dr Park Kyung Seo, the WCC's Asia Secretary, met Suu Kyi in
December 1995 at her Rangoon residence and invited her to be an
official speaker for next week's Myanmar Council of Churches
Round Table.  Suu Kyi "happily accepted", says Park.

WCC Round Tables are occasions when ecumenical partners gather to
discuss the future sharing of resources.  Next week's meeting
will take place in the new ecumenical centre building in Rangoon
which Park inaugurated on his visit last year.  Representatives
of western church agencies will be among the participants.

One function of WCC Round Tables is to help ecumenical partners
assess the situation in countries where they are held.  Primary
sources for this kind of analysis are the local member churches,
who will be present in this Round Table.  Often, however, it is
useful to hear from political actors.  Members of the Round Table
hope to visit the State Law and Order Restoration Council, but
given her important role in the national context, they wish also
to consult with Aung San Suu Kyi.  They hope, according to Park,
that the restrictions on her movement will be lifted for this to
happen, or that participants will be able to meet her at her
home.  "Our meetings will enable us", Park said, "to express both
to government and opposition the WCC's continuing support for the
establishment of peace and true democracy in Burma".

Dr Park is available for interview as follows:

13-17 November: c/o Myanmar Council of Churches +95.1.82.295
18-21 November: c/o National Council of Churches of
Bangladesh+880.2.40.28.69
22-25 November: c/o Christian Conference of Asia +852.2691.10.68
28 November onwards: Geneva +41.22.791.63.15

**********
The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now
330, in more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually
all Christian traditions.  The Roman Catholic Church is not a
member church but works cooperatively with the WCC.  The highest
governing body is the Assembly, which meets approximately every
seven years.  The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in
Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Its staff is headed by general secretary
Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.

World Council of Churches
Press and Information Office
Tel:  (41.22) 791.61.52/51
Fax:  (41.22) 798 13 46
E-Mail: jwn@wcc-coe.org

P.O. Box 2100
CH-1211 Geneva 2