The United Nations envoy for Burma has met with the country's military leadership and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a bid to secure her release from house arrest and end a political deadlock. 

Razali Ismail arrived at Aung San Suu Kyi's lakeside residence Wednesday, where the Nobel laureate has been confined since late 2000. Diplomats say he has been pushing hard for her immediate freedom. Earlier, Mr. Razali held talks with Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt, the country's chief of military intelligence. The U.N. envoy also met with foreign businessmen and ethnic minority leaders. One of the businessmen told Reuters news agency that Mr. Razali was optimistic that there would be progress made in a few weeks. 

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won Burma's 1990 elections, but the military refused to relinquish power. Mr. Razali helped broker democratization talks 18 months ago, though the negotiations have yielded few results besides the release of more than 200 political prisoners. Human rights groups say many dissidents are still being held. Meanwhile, Burma's kyat currency crashed to an all-time low Wednesday, against the U.S. dollar, prompting the government to start rounding up black-market traders. 

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. 

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