Rritain urges India and China to usher democracy in Myanmar London,

Oct 15 (UNI) Britain has urged India and China to pressurise the ruling Junta in Myanmar to usher in democracy.

''We believe that New Delhi and Beijing can be good influence, senior Whitehall officials said adding that both the countries have significant trade links and interests in Myanmar.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, while calling for a multi-billion- pound aid package from rich nations to encourage Burma's ruling military junta to move towards democracy, is also attempting to broker an agreement on an economic package.

He has written to his counterparts in the G7 group of industrialised nations, Portugal, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, India, China, the heads of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

His proposal is expected to bring together the G7 group, the UN, EU, China, India, ASEAN, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to provide support for recovery ''conditional on progress with reconciliation and democracy''.

British ministers would be dispatched to Asia and the Far East and the Government would review the effectiveness of its arms embargo to ensure that weapons or components were not diverted or re-exported to Burma, Mr Brown added.

Mr Brown has written to other world leaders outlining his ''carrot and stick'' approach, under which Burma would face tougher sanctions if its leaders refused to bow to pressure for democratic change.

Britain wants the United Nations to follow the European Union's example by banning arms sales to Burma.

Mr Brown said: ''We cannot forget the images on our television screens of monks and ordinary citizens in Burma protesting, nor the death and human rights abuses we know are still taking place. As I have made clear, we will not turn away.'' UNI