EU foreign policy chief deplores 'unjust' Suu Kyi decision

(BRUSSELS) - EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton on Monday deplored a Myanmar supreme court decision to reject Aung San Suu Kyi's appeal against a jail sentence.

"This damages prospects for an inclusive political dialogue between the government and opposition parties that is urgently needed to achieve progress in national reconciliation and secure long-term stability," Ashton's office said in a statement.

She "deplores the decision of the supreme court to reject the appeal of Aung San Suu Kyi against the unjust sentence imposed last year," the statement added.

Last week the court turned down the opposition leader's appeal against her extended house arrest, keeping her in detention ahead of polls promised by the junta for this year.

Suu Kyi, locked up by the regime for most of the past two decades, had her incarceration lengthened by 18 months in August after being convicted over a bizarre incident in which a US man swam to her lakeside home.

Ashton called on the Myanmar authorities "to heed the appeals of the international community to allow her and all other prisoners of conscience to participate in the political process."

The authorities in Yangon "still have a chance to change course" with the possibility of a final legal appeal, the EU statement said. Ashton made "a strong plea to them to grasp that opportunity in the interests of the future of their country and its people."