The United Nations human rights envoy to Burma, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, has met the pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, for the first time since her release from house arrest in May.

Mr Pinheiro said the talks were focused on the prospects for dialogue between Aung San Suu Kyi and the ruling military junta, but he did not comment on progress.

Aung San Suu Kyi has had a flurry of visitors since her release

Correspondents say hopes for political reform in Burma were raised by Aung San Suu Kyi's release from house arrest, but have subsequently receded.

After a visit to Rangoon earlier this month, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Aung San Suu Kyi was "not very confident" about the junta's promises to work towards democracy.

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) overwhelmingly won 1990 elections but the military government refused to hand over power.

Critical reports

Mr Pinheiro, who is in Burma until next Monday, has already met the junta's intelligence chief, Khin Nyunt, and visited political prisoners in Rangoon.

The junta invited Mr Pinheiro to try to ward off recent allegations of human rights abuses, including systematic rape by the army.

Two organisations representing the Shan community said in a report earlier this year that Burmese troops had raped more than 600 Shan girls and women since 1996.

Diplomats say Burma is desperate to attract foreign investment, but the US and several European countries show no sign of lifting political and economic sanctions against the isolated state.

French oil giant under fire

With Burma's human rights record under scrutiny, French oil giant TotalFinaElf has denied allegations it has profited from forced labour in Burma.

The company was singled out in a report published by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU).

The organisation alleged forced labourers were used to build roads and infrastructure in connection with a gas pipeline operated by TotalFinaElf in the south of Burma.

The company has described the accusation as pure lies, insisting it has always respected employees' rights.

But ICFTU, who says the Burmese army increasingly forces civilians to work, has called on the European Union to ban European investments in Burma at a meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday.

A team from the International Labour Organisation, which has condemned Burma for failing to end forced labour, has arrived in the country this week.

The junta said in a statement that the International Labour Organisation mission would "assist and further develop Myanmar's labour practices".

The military on Tuesday said it "welcomed" the visit.

"We welcome this mission and pledge to assist and cooperate fully with the efforts of the ILO," said government spokesman Colonel Hla Min.