Wed Oct 3, 9:37 AM ET

SINGAPORE - UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari kept a low profile here Wednesday as he drafted a keenly awaited report on his talks with Myanmar's ruling generals and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Gambari flew into Singapore late Tuesday after ending a four-day mission to Myanmar in the wake of the junta's violent crackdown on anti-government street protests.

He met junta leader Than Shwe and other senior leaders to voice worldwide outrage at the crackdown and seek a way forward out of the crisis, and also twice held talks with Aung San Suu Kyi.

Gambari was to fly back to New York where he will brief UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon later this week.

Before leaving Singapore, which chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that includes Myanmar, Gambari held talks with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Foreign Minister George Yeo.

The event was closed to reporters and Gambari returned to his hotel about 30 minutes later. He smiled but said nothing to waiting journalists, who were stopped from approaching him.

Hotel staff refused to put calls through to him.

Singapore's prime minister "was encouraged by the access and cooperation given by the Myanmar government to Mr Gambari," the foreign ministry said.

"Mr Lee also encouraged Mr Gambari to press on with the UN's efforts, which offer the best hope for Myanmar and its people."

Ban sent Gambari to the impoverished nation after the junta cracked down on protests, led by Buddhist monks, that had escalated into the biggest challenge to the regime in nearly 20 years.

At least 13 people were killed and at least 1,000 detained as the security forces reasserted control last week, although foreign diplomats, rights groups and aid agencies say the real figures could be much higher.

Ban's spokeswoman, Michele Montas, said Gambari would meet the UN chief on Thursday and then brief the UN Security Council "probably Friday."

Britain's UN deputy ambassador Karen Pierce told reporters that any move by the 15-member Security Council would depend on what Gambari had to say.

"We need to see what sort of territory we're in," Pierce said.

The United States also took a wait-and-see approach.

"The first reports are that he did get to meet with several of the people that he wanted to meet with. But we won't know fully until he's able to return to the United Nations and report to the Security Council," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.

Gambari, a former Nigerian foreign minister, spent Tuesday shuttling around Myanmar, first holding talks with Than Shwe in the remote capital Naypyidaw, then jetting to the main city Yangon for a 15-minute meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, officials said.

He earlier met with Aung San Suu Kyi for more than an hour on Sunday, but was left waiting for days to see the reclusive military boss.

"You cannot fool Gambari. He is a very seasoned and sanguine diplomat. His report will be interesting," Gambari's predecessor as UN emissary to Myanmar, Razali Ismail, told reporters in Singapore.

Razali said Gambari's two meetings with Aung San Suu Kyi were a "good sign" and it was encouraging that the envoy gained access to Than Shwe.

Before starting his Myanmar mission, Gambari had said he looked forward "to a very fruitful visit so that I can report progress on all fronts".

ASEAN foreign ministers, using unusually sharp language, last week voiced their "revulsion" at the crackdown in Myanmar.

The junta has defended its tactics, with Foreign Minister Nyan Win blaming the turmoil on "political opportunists" backed by "powerful countries."

On Tuesday, the UN Human Rights Council passed a motion condemning what it called "the continued violent repression of peaceful demonstrations in Myanmar" and urged the generals to call a halt.