USAs udenrigsminister Hillary Clinton afsluttede sit besøg i Burma med at mødes med oppositionslederen Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi, der forud for Clintons besøg advarede USA imod at ophæve sanktionerne mod landets militærregering og hilste et styrket forhold mellem USA og Burma velkommen.
– Det kan styrke vejen mod demokrati, sagde Aung San Suu Kyi til Clinton, skriver Al Jazeera English.
The two met at Suu Kyi’s lakeside home, effectively her prison until she was released last November after years in detention.
“We are happy with the way in which the United States is engaging with us and it is through engagement that we hope to promote a process of democratisation,” Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace prize laureate, said.
“If we go forward together I’m confident there will be no turning back from the road to democracy. We are not on that road yet but we hope to get there as soon as possible with our friends.”
It was the first time the pair have met in person, though they have previously spoken by telephone. Clinton has often referred to Aung San Suu Kyi as a personal inspiration.
After talks with Thein Sein, the Burmese president, on Thursday, Clinton said the US was ready to further improve relations with Myanmar, but only if it stayed on the path of democratisation.
Clinton announced a package of modest steps to improve ties, including US support for new IMF and World Bank needs assessment missions and expanded UN aid programmes for the country’s struggling economy.
