"That's the primary goal we should have in our mind," Zhang Jun told reporters after a two-hour, closed- door meeting of the Security Council.

He said the new UN special envoy for Myanmar, Noeleen Heyzer of Singapore, has asked the ruling junta in that country for permission to visit.

"We need to give her some more time. She's talking to all the relevant parties. She has also requested for that. There's hope that she can get it," Zhang said.

Myanmar's military seized power on February 1 last year, ousting the civilian government and arresting its de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

The junta has waged a bloody crackdown on dissent.

The UN Human Rights Office said that since the coup, at least 1,500 people had been killed by the military in a brutal effort to crush dissent, while thousands more would have been killed in the wider armed conflict and violence.

The deputy British ambassador, James Kariuki, said the special envoy expressed the desire during the council meeting to go to Myanmar soon.

"She will try to go soon but the conditions have to be right," he said.