UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said he is deeply disappointed after being prevented from meeting Aung San Suu Kyi.
Mr Ban said he had pressed general Than Shwe on the issue when they met for the second time in two days in the official Burmese capital, Naypyidaw, but was told the Nobel Peace laureate was 'off limits' because she is on trial.
His visit to Burma had been considered diplomatically risky because of its timing during Aung San Suu Kyi's trial on charges of breaching the terms of her house arrest.
The 64-year-old was transferred from her lakeside home to Yangon's Insein prison in May to face trial after a US man swam uninvited to the property. She faces up to five years in jail if convicted.
Rights groups had warned that the UN chief's visit would be considered a major failure unless he managed to win her release.
Critics have accused the ruling military government of using the trial as an excuse to keep Aung San Suu Kyi locked up during the campaign for elections which have been promised for 2010.
Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in court in Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon, yesterday but the trial was adjourned for a week because the judges had not received an earlier judgement barring two defence witnesses, her National League for Democracy said.
The case has sparked international outrage, with US President Barack Obama calling it a show trial and a host of world leaders and celebrities have called for her release.
She has been under house arrest or in detention for 13 of the last 19 years since the junta refused to recognise the NLD's landslide victory in Burma's last elections, in 1990.
