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US likely to lift more sanctions from Burma
New York Times - September 21, 2012
President Barack Obama welcomed Ms Suu Kyi to the Oval Office and paid tribute to her courage and personal sacrifice in fighting for democracy in Burma, the White House said.
Ms Suu Kyi's meeting capped an emotional day in which she was awarded the medal in a ceremony in the rotunda of the Capitol. The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and the former first lady Laura Bush were among the guests.
"This is one of the most moving days of my life," Ms Suu Kyi told the gathering of congressional leaders. She thanked the American people for keeping her and her nation in mind during the many years of repression in Burma.
When Congress voted to grant her the award in 2008, Ms Suu Kyi was under house arrest by the military junta in Burma for her advocacy of democracy and human rights. She was released in November 2010 after spending 15 years as a political prisoner and elected to parliament this year amid reforms.
She called for sanctions to be eased, saying they had served their purpose. A senior administration official said the US was likely to ease some, but cautioned that the administration would make no announcements until it had consulted Burma's government, which under President Thein Sein, a former general, has been moving away from its authoritarian past.
The administration was eager to enlist the support of Ms Suu Kyi, the official said, but announcing any action on sanctions during her visit might alienate Mr Thein Sein.
"We're very sensitive to the fact that Thein Sein is pursuing a reform process that Aung San Suu Kyi is an important part of," the official said.
The administration has allowed US companies to invest in many parts of the Burmese economy. But it has left other measures in place, in part because of what Mrs Clinton described as the threat of "backsliding" by hard-line elements.
Mr Thein Sein plans to attend the opening session of the UN General Assembly next week, as does Mr Obama, but the official said a meeting was unlikely. Another possibility is for the two to speak after the US presidential election, at an Asian summit in Cambodia in November.
The Treasury Department said on Wednesday it had removed Mr Thein Sein and another senior Burmese official – Thura Shwe Mann, the speaker of the lower house of parliament – from a list of sanctioned individuals in recognition of their steps to promote political reform.
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