(Irrawaddy) US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell had a one hour meeting on Monday with detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and also held talks with colleagues of her former National League for Democracy (NLD) at a government guesthouse in Rangoon.

Suu Kyi was driven from her home to the meeting place in a three-car police motorcade, the Associated Press reported.

The meeting took place shortly after Suu Kyi's party was forced to disband   after failing to meet the regime's political party registration deadline. It also followed closely on an appeal by the US Senate to the Obama administration to review its policy of engagement with the Burmese military junta. The policy has not yielded any positive move by the country’s military rulers, senators said in a unanimous resolution.

Before his meeting with Suu Kyi, Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, had talks with senior members of the disbanded NLD, and members of other political parties—such as the Democratic Party, the pro-junta National Unity Party (NUP) and the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) led by the Burmese Prime Minister and the government ministers.

“We urged Mr Campbell to increase pressure on the military regime by the US government and the international community, and also not to recognize the results of the upcoming election as it lacks credibility and inclusiveness as demanded by the international community,” said veteran NLD leader Win Tin, who was among those who met the US official.

“After talks with Mr. Campbell, I found that the US is eager to see Burma becoming a democracy,” said Khin Maung Swe, an NLD official who has formed a new party with other NLD leaders. “But he said that the US has limited influence over the regime and that without the release of political prisoners, the elections will be lacking in credibility.”

Campbell, who arrived in Burma on Sunday, also reportedly met with senior government officials, including Foreign Minister Nyan Win, Information Minister Kyaw San and Science and Technology Minister U Thaung. He was due to hold a press conference before leaving Burma.

During a stopover in Bangkok, Campbell said the US was unhappy with Burma's preparations for elections later this year. Campbell made his first visit to Burma in 2009 as part of the US government's new policy engagement with the regime.