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KUALA LUMPUR, Monday (Reuters) The U.N. special envoy at the centre of efforts to free Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, hailed her release on Monday.

"I am delighted," Malaysian diplomat Razali Ismail said when told by Reuters that Myanmar's opposition had confirmed the military junta had released Suu Kyi after 19 months of house arrest.

"I am very appreciative of what the government has done. I am delighted for her and delighted for the country," said Razali, who has spent the past two years coaxing Myanmar's generals along the path of national reconciliation.

"This is a very big milestone, and I hope the next step is that the government and Aung San Suu Kyi sit together to decide how to pursue this goal," said Razali, who met both sides for talks at the end of last month.

Suu Kyi became an international symbol when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 while under house arrest from 1989 to 1995. Her party, the National League for Democracy, won the last elections in Myanmar in 1990, but the military never allowed the NLD to rule.

Razali said the international community needed to support Myanmar by providing humanitarian assistance, in terms of food security, health and education. 

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