US mulls lifting sanctions against Yangon
Source: The Sangai Express / Agencies
Washington, April 04 2012:
The United States is considering lifting its economic sanctions against Myanmar following the country's recent by-elections, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland indicated Tuesday.
''We're prepared to match positive steps of reform in Burma with steps of our own.
We're now looking at what might come next on the U.S.side,'' Nuland told a daily briefing, referring to the Southeast Asian nation by its former name.
She suggested that Washington will likely make a formal announcement on the matter in coming weeks, saying, ''I don't have anything to announce, but I would look for more movement from us on this in the coming weeks.'' The US is also consulting with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and European countries on the matter, Nuland said.
Pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won by a landslide in Sunday's parliamentary by-elections, according to preliminary results.
The spokeswoman added that the United States is hoping for ''a continuing evolution of the Burmese political system heading towards the next scheduled elections'' .
On Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton congratulated the people of Myanmar on their participation in the electoral process, which she called an ''important step'' in the country's democratic transformation.
In a statement, Clinton expressed hope that the election is an indication that the Myanmar government ''intends to continue along the path of greater openness, transparency and reform'' .
The United States downgraded its diplomatic relationship with Myanmar following the junta's crackdown on the prodemocracy movement in 1988 .
In the 1990s, Washington imposed a series of sanctions against Myanmar, such as refusing to issue visas to the military leadership.
In 2003, the United States also enacted a law banning imports from Myanmar and financial deals with the country.
With the advent of the administration of President Barack Obama in 2009, however, Washington reversed course to give diplomacy with dialogue priority over adding pressure on the country through economic sanctions.
Clinton visited Myanmar from late November to early December last year, the first U.S.secretary of state to do so in 57 years.
In February, the United States partially lifted its sanctions on the country.