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Subscribe to RSSNAYPYITAW, Myanmar – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Myanmar’s President Thein Sein on Thursday to discuss how the reclusive regime can continue its reform efforts and enter the international mainstream.
“I am here today because President Obama and myself are encouraged by the steps that you and your government have taken to provide for your people,” Clinton said.
Sein called the secretary’s visit “historic” and a “new chapter” for Myanmar. Clinton presented Myanmar’s president with a letter from President Obama. The meeting took place at the presidential palace in Naypyitaw and lasted several hours.
In her remarks to reporters after the meeting, Clinton said while the progress that Myanmar has taken is welcome it is just a start. She called on the country to release all political prisoners, hold free and fair elections and sever its “illicit ties with North Korea.”
The U.S. has long suspected that Mynamar might be working with North Korea to obtain nuclear weapons. Taking a frank tone, Clinton said, “the most consequential question facing this country is not its relationship with America or any other nation. It is whether leaders will let their people live up to their God-given potential and claim their place at the heart of a Pacific Century? Or will this country, once again, be left behind?”
Clinton said the United States is prepared to take steps that would lessen Myanmar's isolation including: an invitation to join a regional development initiative as an observer, allowing the IMF and World Bank assessment missions to start studying needs on the ground and possibly a joint effort to recover the remains of Americans who were lost during World War II – a step that helped the U.S. repair relations with Vietnam.
In the long term the United States said they are discussing upgrading diplomatic relations with Myanmar and exchanging ambassadors. The United States hasn’t had an ambassador in the region for more than two decades.
Clinton ended her remarks with a challenge to Myanmar: “President Obama spoke of ‘flickers of progress’ we know from history that flickers can die out. They can be stamped out. It will be up to the leaders of this country to fan flickers of progress into a flame of freedom that lights the path toward a better future.”
On Thursday evening Clinton met pro-democracy leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi for a private home of the top-ranking U.S. diplomat in Myanmar before a more formal meeting at Suu Kyi's residence on Friday.
Suu Kyi was a political prisoner in the country for the better part of the past two decades and was just released last year. She recently announced she would re-enter the political process.
It is the first time the pair have met in person, though they have spoken by telephone. Clinton will also present her with a letter from Obama.
Related link: Clinton to get first top-level peek at Myanmar in over 50 years
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How about we help the people in the USA first ! This is whats so wrong with our government !
It is always cheaper to make friends than contain enemies. Anyone question that logic after the last 10 years and over a trillion dollars?
Keeping the peace and advancing democracy will always help our country in the big picture. What we need in our country right now is the President's jobs bill. And because of politics that will be a slow process in congress and hurt much like a tooth extraction.
I am all four making friends....if it doesn't have a price tag on it ;-)
AB,
Obviously the current administration questions that logic. The Egyptian leadership was not the best, but at least they were agreeable to us and a psuedo ally. So we encourage an overthow to replace them with the Muslim Brotherhood? And we help oust the leadership in Libya, who also has had a checkered past with us, but recently had taken steps towards disarming to gain recognition and was making steps in the right direction. And what will he be replaced by? Isreal has been shunned by this adminstration in favor of supporting Palestinians?
It appears it is cheaper to make friends than enemies, but our recent efforts have been to replace these friends or at least co-operative aquaintences with more hostile enemies. And rather than defend the relationships we have we side with the opposition in "Hope" that they will be better.
This foreign policy is fools play. We have effectively helped to make the entire middle east region more unstable and with more radical hostile organizations in power.
You can praise BHO all you want for killing Bin Laden. The remainder of his foreign policy is terrible and we will pay for it for many years to come.
ABO 2012
Oh, dsdsherm. That is so damned funny! A "checkered past". As if it were a minor matter of swindling someone out of a few thousand dollars or stealing a car--rather than harboring a terrorist who blew up a plane.
As for the Egyptian leadership, it was going down no matter what we said.
Both these guys were murdering civilians who wanted them out. Whether we did the right thing or the wrong thing in supporting the movement to oust them is something history will determine, not me, and certainly not you.
Friendly relations with Myanmar will bring us on a peaceful footing with country that was friendly with North Korea. That sounds like a good idea. It will also bring us a chance to bring home the remains of American soldiers while some of their relatives may still be alive who remember and miss them. It will decrease the chances of war in that region. What is there to lose?
Well it's nice to know that hillary is doing something.
But how about an answer to Chris Christies question the other day....
Why the hell are we paying the bystander in the Oval Office?
That is the best question any politician or anyone for that matter has put forth in the past 3 years!
Ah, yes Rob, the latest Fox talking point. Like I said, watch the old Schoolhouse Rock videos. We have three branches of government, and the Congress is supposed to legislate new laws and Congress controls the cash flow. The president was told to stay out of super committee negotiations, as those in the committee were to find bipartisan agreement, and his presence would not have helped the process. So to keep people from hearing that the process failed because of Republicans who had sold out to a random lobbyist, Fox came up with the predictable, nonsensical diversion you are voicing now. Read a little. Stop watching Fox. It is hurting your I.Q.
Wayne,
Typical liberal response, if you can't blame Bush, blame FOX News. Most people do not get their news from cable news stations. For your information the President was not told to stay out of the committee's negotiations. The President is the leader of the democrat party and has the ability to lead in the negotiations, you know like Obama likes to lead from behind or so he claims. It is the President's job to try and bring both sides together in any negotiations, after all it is the President's job to set the agenda for the country. Yes, it is the job of congress to fund the government by passing a FY Budget (which the house did but the senate hasn't) and writing the appropriations bills which set's out the spending for each agency. The President can sign into law or veto any appropriations bills he doesn't agree to, so yes the President does have a responsibility to get involved.
Maybe if he would get more involved, and quit running around the country campaigning (mostly on the tax payers dime) something could be accomplished. Both Presidents Clinton and Reagan were able to negotiate with the congress when the congress was controlled by the opposite party. It's called leadership, something Obama knows nothing about.
Three words sfecret
Republican, Obstructionism, fillibuter.
Wayne,
You do understand that it's a waste of time trying to explain these things to Rob--right?
sfcret,
Right. IF the other party negotiates in good faith, which they have not done once during the past 12 months. You haven't perchance forgotten that McConnell said his first order of business was to ensure that President Obama is a one-term president, have you? No, I didn't think so. And you do know that no matter what the President does--get involved with the negotiations or not get involved--the other party is going to criticize him? Yes, I thought so. So in other words everything you've said is a canard.
Jack,
I am sure you are right about Rob. Even School House Rock won't help.
Jack, typical left wing talking points, Reagan and Clinton both were able to negotiate with the opposite party, but Obama seems to be incapable. Remember President Obama is the leader of the Democrat party. As for McConnell's statement about making Obama a one term president, the other side always tries to make one term presidents out of the opposite party. Just like the democrats, lead by Clinton, worked, and succeeded in making Bush Sr. a one term President, it's called politics.
A President must lead, remember the saying "Lead follow or get the hell out of the way". Obama appears to want to get out and stay out of the way. He's to busy trying to raise his one billion dollars for his campaign.
Obama is the most divisive President I have ever seen, and I go back to the 40s.
This is a step in the right direction. I hope things continue to grow and we can export our goods to their country. Thank you President Obama and Sec. of State Clinton! You two make a wonderful team!!
If we export goods to their country, we will also have to give them the money to buy those goods. Borrow money from China to give it to these people, makes a lot of sense.
While you all banter back and forth about the candidate of the day a bill is making it's way through congress that will allow American citizens to be arrested, denied due process, and detained indefinitely by the military. The senate passed the bill yesterday, they were also given the chance to vote on an amendment that would have allowed American citizens their rights, they rejected it. Folks the people who stole this countries money, the same people that tell government what to do see problems with the populace ahead, and they intend to us our military against us to protect their stolen money. So as you enjoy your meaningless jousting about the rep/dem farce called our political system keep in mind the government that you think you have, the one the media says you have, is not yours at all, and instead of thinking about how to do what is best for you and this country it is devising plans on how to control you when you finally see the truth.
I think the president will be right to veto this monster even if it is part of a defense bill. It will be ruled unconstitutional and be overturned anyway.
This could be a very, very good thing. And, as Ana has said, it is much cheaper to make friends. And gives us another, positive foothold in the region.
@Tommy
I like the trade part. Think they still have those beautiful, Burmese rubies? :)
Perhaps Mrs Clinton could work on the difficult task of repairing relations between the Obama Administration and Congress. Now, that would be a diplomatic break through!
It is good to see that diplomacy is working. Unlike Bush who would haved flattened Naypytaw bombing them into submission and make them just like us or maybe Mc Cain would have bomb, bomb, bombed them. Diplomacy takes time and finesse. Obviously Hillary and the Obama Administratio has done very well.