Ban however looked set to have a second chance at persuading iron-fisted ruler Than Shwe after the UN announced that they would have a second, unscheduled meeting on the second and final day of his visit Saturday.

The UN secretary general met Than Shwe in Naypyidaw, the regime's remote stronghold, shortly after a prison court again adjourned the widely condemned trial of Aung San Suu Kyi on charges of violating her house arrest.

"I told him that I wanted to meet her in person. He told me that she is on trial but I told him this is my proposal, this is important and I am waiting for their consideration and reply," Ban said after two hours of talks.

"I am leaving tomorrow, so logically speaking I am waiting for a reply before my departure," he added.

Than Shwe appeared in his olive green military uniform at the start of the two-hour meeting in an ornate marble-floored reception hall in the administrative capital but did not speak.

Ban's visit had been considered diplomatically risky and rights groups warned that it would be considered a major failure unless he managed to win Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom.

The 64-year-old opposition leader was transferred from house arrest to Yangon's notorious Insein prison in May on charges of violating her house arrest, after an American man swam uninvited to her lakeside house.

She has been in detention for most of the past two decades since the junta refused to recognise her party's victory in the country's last elections in 1990, and now faces five years' imprisonment if convicted.

Ban said he had also sought the release of more than 2,000 political prisoners that the UN says are held in Myanmar -- including Aung San Suu Kyi -- ahead of elections promised by the ruling generals for 2010.

"I proposed and I urged that all political prisoners should be released before this election begins, so that this election can be all inclusive," Ban said.

UN officials travelling with Ban later said there had been a "very lively exchange of views" after Ban proposed a five-point agenda for democratic reforms in Myanmar.

There was "considerable resistance" to the proposals, including the establishment of a UN "good offices" bureau in Yangon to provide a permanent structure for Ban and his special UN envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari.

UN spokesman Marie Okabe announced that they would meet for further talks on Saturday morning.

Ban would also give an unprecedented public address in Myanmar before his departure on Saturday evening, although the format had not yet been established, said the UN officials.

Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in court in Yangon on Friday but the trial was adjourned for a week because the judges had not received an earlier judgement barring two defence witnesses, her National League for Democracy (NLD) said.

Critics have accused the junta of using the trial to keep her locked up for the elections, although Ban said that Than Shwe assured him that the elections would be held in a "fair, free and transparent manner".

The case has sparked international outrage, with US President Barack Obama calling it a "show trial" and a host of world leaders and celebrities calling for her release.

Ban has faced recent criticism for his softly-softly approach to the job of secretary general, but diplomats say he hopes his quiet brand of diplomacy will pay dividends with Myanmar's generals.

The visit is Ban's first to Myanmar since he persuaded the junta to accept international aid following Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, which killed around 138,000 people.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has been ruled by the military since 1962.