U.N.'s Ban denied Suu Kyi meeting

He said those proposals included the release of the more than 2,000 political prisoners ahead of next year's election, opening of real dialogue between the government and opposition, and creating conditions conducive to free and fair elections.

It was not immediately known if Than Shwe agreed to all of Ban's requests.

However, on Friday, Ban said Than Shwe had promised the election would not be rigged.

"I was assured that Myanmar's authorities will make sure that this election will be held in a fair and free and transparent manner," he said.

A U.N. official said they had urged the junta to accept international monitors.

In London, Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on the Myanmar authorities on Friday to halt Suu Kyi's trial and release her.

"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," he said in comments posted on the Huffington Post website.

Ban himself had described his current second visit to Myanmar as a "very tough mission" and made clear he was not expecting radical changes overnight in a country that has been ruled by a military junta for 47 years.

He had expressed concern his visit could be used by the ruling generals for propaganda purposes but he decided to go anyway, hoping his knack for quiet diplomacy would persuade the generals to compromise, as they did last year when Ban convinced them to lift humanitarian aid restrictions after Cyclone Nargis.

Analysts say Ban may have been given some indication by the generals, or by U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari after his trip last week, that his visit might bring some kind of positive result.