Burma’s military dictatorship is willing to meet Aung San Suu Kyi, the democracy leader, if she abandons her support for sanctions against the regime, the country’s state-controlled television reported last night.

The offer represents the first hint of compromise from the junta, a week after it embarked on the brutal suppression of huge anti-government demonstrations.

Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) reacted with caution to the announcement, saying that the junta's preconditions before the talks compromised her position.

Nyan Win, a spokesman for her party, told Reuters: "They are asking her to confess to offences that she has not committed." He did not, however, dismiss the junta's offer outright, telling the AFP agency: "It’s up to Daw (Ms) Aung San Suu Kyi to decide."

Mr Win added that she should be allowed to respond to the offer of talks by making a public statement. This is considered highly unlikely, however, as Ms Suu Kyi has been under house-arrest since May, 2003, without a telephone and requiring official permission to greet visitors, which is rarely granted.

The offer of talks was apparently made by General Than Shwe, the leader of the junta, during a meeting with Ibrahim Gambari, the United Nations envoy to Burma, this week.

Mr Gambari spent four days in the country and met Than Shwe and Ms Suu Kyi. Yesterday in New York he briefed Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary-General, and today he will make a presentation on his trip to the Security Council. He appears to have scored a modest success by persuading Than Shwe, in principle at least, to sit down with his democratic antagonist.

In its announcement last night, state television said: "Senior General Than Shwe said during his meeting with Mr Gambari that Madame Aung San Suu Kyi has been promoting four things - confrontation, utter devastation, economic sanctions on Myanmar [Burma], and other sanctions. If she abandons these calls, Senior General Than Shwe told Mr Gambari that he will personally meet Madame Aung San Suu Kyi."

Yesterday afternoon, the authorities were persuaded to release a Burmese female employee of the UN in Rangoon, Myint Ngwe Monl, who had been seized with her family. Three other local UN staff have been arrested and released, along with a Burmese man working for the Japanese Embassy.

Three other Burmese UN employees or their family members were freed on Wednesday, as well as a man working for the Japanese Embassy. Foreign diplomats said they believed that there was no focused attempt to single out those who were working for foreign organisations.

Last night’s television news bulletin said that 2,093 people had been arrested, the first time that it has referred to mass arrests. Some estimates, by foreign diplomats in Rangoon and activist groups based abroad, put the figure at several thousand more.

"The Government ordered people not to gather as a precaution, but people gathered anyway," said the state-run news programme, referring to an announcement that banned gatherings of more than five people. "They were arrested according to the law."

The bulletin said that 692 of the detainees had been released, after giving a written promise not to take part in future demonstrations.

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