Burma's ruling junta said today that peace talks with pro-democracy opposition leader Ms Aung San Suu Kyi would not be derailed by the discovery of a coup plot led by the cronies of a former dictator.
The military said at the weekend it had arrested the son-in-law and three grandsons of 91-year-old Ne Win, who took power in Burma in 1962, for conspiring with senior commanders to overthrow the government.
The news rekindled speculation of a rift among the country's most powerful generals over how to deal with Ms Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD), which won elections in 1990 but was never allowed to take power.
But the government - which took the rare step at the weekend of saying there was no rift among its top leaders - told a news conference today the talks would go on.
"Because we uncovered this coup attempt in time, it won't have any impact on the ongoing talks," said the deputy chief of military intelligence. "The leaders are ready to carry on with the talks".
The military has been holding talks with Ms Aung San Suu Kyi since October 2000, saying it wants to agree a framework for a transition to civilian rule. But Ms Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest, and the talks have produced no firm results. Diplomats say the ruling junta is divided on the talks.
A faction led by military intelligence head Lieut-Gen Khin Nyunt favors a flexible approach, but supporters of army chief Gen Maung Aye is against any concessions to the NLD, they say.
Mr Ne Win's family, which was active in business in Burma, is seen as close to Lieut-Gen Khin Nyunt, and some analysts interpreted the weekend's purge as a bid by hardliners to get the upper hand in their power struggle and scupper any concessions to Ms Aung San Suu Kyi.