Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi will be freed from house arrest and her National League for Democracy invited to a constitutional conference next month, Myanmar's foreign minister told NHK television yesterday.

"Original members who attended, including the NLD, will be invited," Foreign Minister Win Aung told Japan's NHK television in Bangkok, where he was due to meet his Thai counterpart. Asked if Suu Kyi would be released before the May 17 start of the conference, Win Aung said: "Yes." He added it was too early to give a precise date.

The military government, under pressure to show it is sincere about its "road map to democracy" announced with few details last August, set the date for the constitutional meeting last week.

But it made no mention of Suu Kyi, the Nobel peace laureate who remains under house arrest at her Yangon home, or her party, which has had its offices shut since clashes between opposition and government supporters a year ago.

Yangon faced calls last week from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the United States and human rights groups to allow Suu Kyi and her party to participate in the conference.

The conference was suspended in 1996 after the NLD walked out, accusing the military of manipulating the process to stay in power. The NLD won general elections in 1990, but the government rejected the results.

There had been speculation Suu Kyi may be freed in mid-April following a recent visit to Yangon by UN special envoy Razali Ismail.