A US White House spokesman said on Wednesday the Bush administration was disappointed to hear that Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi had reported that no progress towards a “time-bound dialogue” had been achieved in her meetings with a regime mediator.

Suu Kyi made the assessment in a rare meeting on Wednesday with other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD), whose spokesman, Nyan Win, quoted her as saying: “Let’s hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”

Talking to reporters aboard the presidential aircraft carrying President George W Bush to Los Angeles on Wednesday, White House Spokesman Tony Fratto said the US administration was disappointed to hear there had been no progress yet “on a meaningful time-bound dialogue.” He said the regime had “refused to offer any time frame for commencement of a dialogue”-and added: “We once again call on the regime, as called for in the October 11th [2007] UN Security Council Presidential Statement, to begin a time-bound dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and all relevant parties, including ethnic minorities, immediately.”

In his brief remarks to reporters, Fratto appeared to indicate that the US has had some communication with Suu Kyi, but this was denied later by another top Bush administration official.

“We are pleased to have heard from Aung San Suu Kyi, herself,” Fratto said. When asked by White House reporters if this meant that someone in the US government had heard from her, Fratto said: “As I understand, the US government has heard from her.  I don’t know who; I’ll try to find out for you.”

Later, US National Security Council Spokesman Gordon Johndroe clarified that by this Fratto meant the entire world.

“We all heard from her spokesman who met with her, and relayed a message to the world from her,” Johndroe said.