SINGAPORE (AFP) - Southeast Asian foreign ministers expressed "deep disappointment" Sunday over Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest and called for all political prisoners in the country to be freed.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has been criticised in the past for its failure to act firmly against its renegade member, issued the strongly worded statement at the start of annual talks.

"The foreign ministers expressed their deep disappointment that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's detention under house arrest had been extended by the Myanmar government," said Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo.

"They repeated the call by ASEAN leaders for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political detainees as part of Myanmar's national reconciliation process," he said.

Yeo raised the prospect of Aung San Suu Kyi's release, saying Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win reiterated the junta's defence that it is legally permitted to hold a citizen for a year, and a further five years with cabinet consent.

"He told me that the six-year limit will come up in about half a year's time," he said.

Asked whether that meant she could be freed, he said: "I am just repeating to you what he told me and I think that is not an inaccurate inference."

However, the ruling generals may not be bound by existing law as they consider Aung San Suu Kyi's fate. In a decision they are unlikely to reverse, they extended the house arrest measure by one year in May.

The Nobel peace price winner has spent most of the past 18 years confined to her lakeside home in Yangon.

Aung San Suu Kyi led her National League for Democracy to a landslide victory in 1990 elections, but it was never allowed to take office.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministers also urged the Myanmar junta to engage with Aung San Suu Kyi's movement, which has been frozen out of a much-criticised "roadmap to democracy."

"The Myanmar government should engage in a meaningful dialogue with all political groups and work towards a peaceful transition to democracy in the near future," Yeo said.

ASEAN backed the efforts of United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who has been attempting to broker reconciliation talks between Myanmar's rulers and the pro-democracy opposition.

"They stressed the importance of Professor Gambari's work in helping Myanmar move forward," the statement said, as the envoy prepares to make another visit in August.

"They urged the Myanmar government to give him access to senior leaders and to facilitate meetings with the widest possible range of contacts including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi," Yeo said.

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