The face to face meeting started at about 11.30 in Innya Lake hotel, in Yangon. In the morning, Campbell and Marciel met Burmese Prime Minister, no contact, however, with Than Shwe, leader of the military junta in power. Former Burmese diplomat: "The chief general is not willing to compromise."

Yangon (AsiaNews / Agencies) - This morning - at about 11.30 local time - Aung San Suu Kyi met with Kurt Campbell and Scot Marciel, the two senior U.S. diplomatic officials on visit to Myanmar. Local sources, reported by the Burmese newspaper Mizzina News, explain that the opposition leader left her home on the shores of the lake where she is under detention and headed to Innya Lake Hotel, Yangon. The "Lady", who has spent 14 of the last 20 years under house arrest, wearing a traditional Burmese pink dress, appeared in good health, hailed the photographers present but declined to make any statement.

Kurt Campbell, deputy U.S. Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, and his deputy Scot Marciel, U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN (Association covering 10 countries in Southeast Asia), left Naydyidaw the capital of Myanmar, early this morning, where yesterday they met senior hierarchs of the military dictatorship.  

Today, the two diplomats held a short meeting with Thein Sein, before leaving for Yangon. As mentioned yesterday, there was no face to face with the chief general Than Shwe, who rarely agrees to receive foreign diplomats and, most importantly, is the man that rules the country. According to Thakin Chan Htun, a former Burmese diplomat, the lack of a meeting confirms that "the chief is not willing to compromise."

The U.S. diplomats spoke of the Obama administration's new policy of partial opening towards the military dictatorship, after years of isolation and economic and commercial sanctions. An eventual lifting of the sanctions - which would not be opposed by that Aung San Suu Kyi – however remains linked to an improvement of human rights in Myanmar and the release of political detainees.  

Later this afternoon, Campbell and Marciel will also meet leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the main opposition party, and representatives of ethnic minorities that make up the country.

 

• myanmar
• usa
• aung
• san
• suu
• kyi
• burma
• military
• dictatorship
• sanctions
• obama
• diplomacy