U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says Burma's top pro-democracy opposition party must be included in the country's constitutional convention for the process to be seen as credible.
Delegates to the convention -- which is being held outside the capital, Rangoon -- resumed meeting Thursday after a seven-month break.
But the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi are boycotting the convention to protest the continued detention of some of their leaders.
Burma's military rulers say the convention to draft a new constitution is a first step toward bringing democracy to the country after decades of military rule.
Critics say it is aimed at deceiving the international community into thinking that genuine reform is underway. Burma has not had a constitution since 1988.
Information for this report is provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.