Clinton urges Burma to introduce reforms
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton challenged Burma's leaders today to continue and expand reforms.
She offered the isolated country a small package of rewards for steps it has already taken but made clear that more must be done, including breaking military ties with North Korea.
She said the US was ready to further improve relations with the civilian government - but only if it stays on the path of democratisation.
In a series of modest first steps, she announced that Washington would allow Burma to participate in a US-backed grouping of Mekong River countries; no longer block enhanced co-operation between the country and the International Monetary Fund; and support intensified UN health, microfinance and counter-narcotics programmes.
On a historic visit, Mrs Clinton offered the country future incentives, including the prospect of upgraded diplomatic ties, in return for steps that include releasing political prisoners and ending ethnic violence with aggressive efforts at national reconciliation.
"I came to assess whether the time is right for a new chapter in our shared history," she told reporters after meeting President Thein Sein and other senior government officials in the capital of Naypyidaw.
"The United States is prepared to walk the path of reform with you if you keep moving in the right direction."
After decades of repressive military rule, she said President Barack Obama was willing to explore improved and expanded ties "to reward reforms with steps to lessen (Burma's) isolation and improve the lives of its citizens".
In an ornate room at Naypidaw's presidential palace - a huge building with 40ft to 60ft ceilings replete with gold gilt, giant teak doors and white marble floors that lies off an enormous but empty 20-lane motorway - Mr Sein appeared eager to embrace the opening with the United States.
He told Mrs Clinton her visit was a "historic milestone" which would "enhance relations and co-operation".
A senior US official said Mr Sein had outlined his government's plans for reform in a 45-minute presentation in which he acknowledged that Burma lacked a recent tradition of democracy and openness.
He asked for US help in making the transition from military to full civilian rule, according to the official.
Mrs Clinton replied that she was visiting because the US was "encouraged by the steps that you and your government have taken to provide for your people".
But she also made clear that those steps must be consolidated and enlarged if the US is to consider easing near-blanket economic sanctions that block almost all American commercial transactions with Burma.
"While measures already taken may be unprecedented and certainly welcome, they are just a beginning," she told reporters.
She called for the release of political prisoners and an end to brutal ethnic violence which has ravaged the nation for decades.
Later today, she was meeting opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, a long-time political prisoner who has said she will run in upcoming elections.
Mrs Clinton also warned the country's leadership to break suspected military, nuclear and ballistic missile co-operation with North Korea that may violate UN sanctions.
"Better relations with the United States will only be possible if the entire government respects the international consensus against the spread of nuclear weapons... and we support the government's stated intention to sever military ties with North Korea," she said.
In his presentation, Mr Sein vowed that Burma would uphold its UN obligations with respect to North Korea, according to the senior US official.
He also told Mrs Clinton that Burma was actively considering signing a new agreement with the UN nuclear watchdog which would allow unfettered inspections of atomic sites in the country, the official said.
Recalling Mr Obama's mention of "flickers of progress" in Burma when he announced that Mrs Clinton was to visit the country, she urged the leadership not to allow them to "be stamped out".
"It will be up to the leaders and the people to fan flickers of progress into flames of freedom that light the path toward a better future," she said. "That - and nothing less - is what it will take for us to turn a solitary visit into a lasting partnership."
Despite the historic nature of Mrs Clinton's visit, enthusiasm has been muted within Burma.
Chan Tun, a 91-year-old veteran politician and a retired ambassador to China, said: "This is a very critical visit because US will understand Myanmar (Burma) better through engagement. US engagement will also help Myanmar's dependence on China."
But Mrs Clinton's presence has been overshadowed by the arrival today of the prime minister of Belarus and his wife, to whom two large welcoming signs were erected at the airport and the road into the city. No such displays welcomed Mrs Clinton.
The Belarus prime minister made the front page of today's edition of the government-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper. Mrs Clinton's visit was mentioned in a two-paragraph story on page 2.
Nevertheless, some in Myanmar welcomed the attention from the US.
"I watched the arrival of Ms Clinton on Myanmar TV last night," 35-year-old taxi driver Thein Zaw said. "I am very happy that Ms Clinton is visiting our country because America knows our small country, whether it is good or bad."
