UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari is in Rangoon, Burma, Saturday on his seventh such visit. He is scheduled to stay all four days of his visit in Rangoon, the commercial capital of Burma. He has so far got no invitation to go and see the supremo of ruling military regime Senior Genaral Than Shwe in Naypyidaw, the new secretive administrative capital in a remote arid central region of Burma.

He is to meet Burmese military regime’s foreign minister Nyan Win on Saturday afternoon and then to meet UN staffs at UN Office in Rangoon. He is also to meet Senior General Than Shwe’s spokesperson, Information Minister Kyaw San.

During his last visit Gambari did not get a chance to meet either military leader Senior Genaral Than Shwe or people’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house-arrest. Aung San Suu Kyi’s refusal to meet Gambari on last visit was seen as a snub on his failure to get any progrees in the political deadlock in Burma.

But this time, officials from Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National league for Democracya are saying that she will possibly meet him on Monday.

The Secretary General’s office issued a statement confirming Gambari’s visit only yesterday just before Gambari left for Burma. Gambari is expected to try to pave the way for another visit by UN Secretary General to Burma, probably later this year.

Gambari is also reported to try to buy freedom of political prisoners in Burma, in exchange for international developemntal aid money. But critics say that the money will just go into the Generals’ pockets, and some diplomats say that using aid money for political purposes is not very ethical.