US Urges Myanmar To Free All Political Prisoners. U.S.
Secretary Of State John Kerry said Thursday that he and his counterparts from Russia, Ukraine and the European Union have reached an agreement on a preliminary plan for ending the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Kerry was speaking at the end of the Ukraine contact group's first meeting, comprising the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, the EU and the U.S., in the Swiss city of Geneva. While outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will likely be remembered by many for her role in the troubled rollout of Obamacare, President Barack Obama praised her extraordinary leadership in remarks on Friday.
US Diplomat in Burma to Meet Political Leaders, Suu Kyi. A senior U.S. diplomat is in Burma on the first visit by a U.S. official since the country's military rulers held a rare election last month and released opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.
The U.S. Embassy in Rangoon says Joseph Yun arrived in the city Tuesday for a four-day visit in which he will meet senior Burmese officials, representatives of political parties and ethnic minority groups. A spokesman for Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, Nyan Win, says Yun will meet Friday with Suu Kyi.
Yun is the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. Burma's military released Suu Kyi last month, days after holding the country's first election in 20 years. The U.S. A breakaway faction of Suu Kyi's party told the French news agency, AFP, that Yun held talks Tuesday in Rangoon with representative of 10 parties that won seats in the November 7 election. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. In Burma, opportunity for the US. Burmanet » Agence France Presse: Suu Kyi party says no pre-condi. Obama shifts US policy on Myanmar - 16 Nov 09 - Firefox.
Obama demands release of Burma democracy champion Aung San Suu K. Breaking Burma’s Isolation. Exit from comment view mode.
Click to hide this space NEW YORK – The Obama administration’s decision to seek a new way forward in United States-Burma relations recognizes that decades of trying to isolate Burma (Myanmar) in order to change the behavior of its government have achieved little. With Burma’s ruling generals preparing to hold elections later this year – for the first time since 1990 – it is time to try something different. Webb cancels Burma trip over nuclear fears. US senator Jim Webb has postponed his visit to Burma, scheduled for today, because of reports that Burma is developing a nuclear programme in conjunction with North Korea.
Webb had been due to fly to Naypyidaw this evening to meet with the Burmese prime minister, before heading to Rangoon to meet with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. A statement penned by Webb and released by his office today cites news reports that Burma is in the process of building nuclear weaponry. “From the initial accounts, a defecting officer from the Burmese military claims direct knowledge of such plans, and reportedly has furnished documents to corroborate his claims,” said the statement. “It is unclear whether these allegations have substantive merit. “Until there is further clarification on these matters, I believe it would be unwise and potentially counterproductive for me to visit Burma.” It would have been Webb’s second visit to Burma, and follows a stop-off in South Korea and Thailand.
Will the new Burma envoy focus on engagement or sanctions? The Obama administration is getting ready to select a new special envoy to Burma, who if confirmed could take up his post just after the Burmese junta holds elections the administration has already said won't be legitimate.
An administration official told The Cable, "The Department of State is reviewing several candidates now and will be in consultation shortly with Capitol Hill on the pick to be selected. " The current list contains several names, and State is looking at established diplomats, former policymakers, think tank wonks, those with experience on Capitol Hill, etc., the official said. It's been seven months since the Obama administration announced its new Burma policy, which calls for limited engagement with the brutal regime while keeping sanctions in place.
The leading player on Burma policy, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, has been to the country twice in his current role. And therein lies the rub.