During the visit in Burma of the United Nations envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, from September 29 to October 2, he recommended the ruling junta to appoint somebody to make the connection with Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's democracy icon and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

Gambari’s visit was made as a cause of the bloody repression of the Buddhist monks and their followers on September 25 and 26.

Thus, a “minister of relations” was appointed. The state-run, New Light of Myanmar, newspaper announced "In respect of Mr Gambari's recommendation and in view of smooth relations with Aung San Suu Kyi, the deputy minister for labour Aung Kyi is assigned duty of minister for relations,", along with a short government announcement that was made on television the evening before.

Ibrahim Gambari met with the junta chief Senior General Than Shwe on October 2, in Naypyidaw, the country's new capital, where the latter one declared that he is willing to meet Aung San Suu Kyi himself, but only if she ends her calls for confrontation with the regime and support for economic sanctions on the country.

There were previous attempts of reconciliation with Suu Kyi, but they failed, primary because of the lack of interest of the ruling junta. In a statement issued by her party, the National League for Democracy, she said: "The success of a dialogue is based on sincerity and the spirit of give and take. The will for achieving success is also crucial and there should not be any pre-condition."

Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of Aung San, independence hero and founder of the Myanmar army, and she has been under house arrest since May 2003.

During the last month’s clashes the government declared that only ten people died and 1,600 people have been released, out of 2,700 which have been arrested in the past ten days.