UK's Brown urges Myanmar to halt Suu Kyi trial

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on Myanmar authorities on Friday to halt the trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and to release her.

Brown's call, in a post on the Huffington Post website, timed his comments to coincide with a visit to Myanmar by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

"I call on the regime to mark Ban Ki-moon's arrival by immediately halting her trial, which makes a mockery of justice, and ending her detention which undermines their credibility in the eyes of the world," Brown said.

Suu Kyi, who has spearheaded a campaign for democracy for two decades in the former Burma, is currently on trial for breaching a security law, which critics say is an attempt by the generals to keep her out of multi-party elections to be held next year.

Only an agreement to release all political prisoners and to start a genuine dialogue with the opposition and ethnic groups will give any credibility to the elections, Brown said.

"I hope that Ban Ki-moon can convince the generals to take the first steps. A serious offer is on the table: The international community will work with Burma if the generals are prepared to embark on a genuine transition to democracy," he said.

"But if the Burmese regime refuses to engage, the international community must be prepared to respond robustly," he said.

Ban had a rare meeting with Myanmar junta supremo Than Shwe on Friday but left with no clear answer to his request to see Suu Kyi.

The Nobel laureate, 64, was charged with violating the terms of her house arrest by allowing an American intruder to stay at her home in May.

Suu Kyi has spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention, mostly under house arrest at her lakeside home in Yangon.