Professor Gambari told Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Yi that it is crucial the international community moves quickly to lobby the generals to pledge changes.

'I believe we are now in a critical phase in terms of development in Myanmar, in terms of Myanmar's relations with neighbouring countries, with Asean, with the international community,' Prof Gambari said.

Beijing is the UN envoy's first stop on a regional tour. China is an important trading partner of Myanmar and also a big arms provider to the country.

Prof Gambari will also visit Indonesia, Singapore and Japan.

Asean has called repeatedly on Myanmar to hold talks with the country's opposition leaders, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ms Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), said yesterday - in its first reaction to the junta's timetable for new elections - that the military rulers must respect the election the party won in order to build a true democracy.

The junta made a surprise announcement earlier this month of a referendum on a new, as yet unfinished, Constitution in May, to be followed by a general election in 2010 - the first specific dates for steps in an earlier-announced 'road map to democracy'.

The military last held elections in 1990 but never recognised the landslide victory by Ms Suu Kyi's NLD, and instead has kept her under house arrest for 12 of the past 18 years.

'It is a violation of democracy and human rights, so a new democratic country cannot be built,' the NLD said in its statement.

It also slammed the junta for announcing the referendum 'one-sidedly and without genuine dialogue', and accused the regime of ignoring UN recommendations to open talks on national reconciliation.

'The draft of the Constitution should be released so that people can study it and make a decision,' the NLD added.

The regime announced its timetable for elections amid mounting international pressure over its crackdown on peaceful demonstrations led by Buddhist monks last September in which the UN says at least 31 people were killed.

China has objected to Western criticism of Myanmar's military regime, saying conditions in the country have improved dramatically since the crackdown.

China has been credited with convincing Myanmar's generals to issue Prof Gambari with visas for an earlier visit.

While the junta has yet to approve another visit by the envoy, Mr Wang said it was important that Prof Gambari visited China ahead of any future follow-up trip to Myanmar.

Prof Gambari told Mr Wang: 'I look forward to a very constructive and, as usual, frank exchange of views...so that by the end of my round of consultations, which will take me to Indonesia, Singapore and Japan, I will be able to report to the (UN) Secretary-General that we are moving forward and adding to (a) kind of positive development...in Myanmar.'

ASSOCIATED PRESS, REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE