WorldVIENTIANE, AFP -Myanmar's newly installed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi will meet President Barack Obama in the United States next week, a senior White House official said Tuesday. During a speech earlier in the day, Obama said he looked forward to welcoming Suu Kyi “as we stand with the people of Myanmar in their journey towards pluralism and peace”. Obama and Suu Kyi first met in 2012 shortly after the veteran dissident was released from house arrest, where she had spent much of the last two decades under junta rule. He also met Suu Kyi during a visit to Myanmar in 2014, when he criticised the ban on her assuming the presidency. There have been suggestions Washington may lift some of those sanctions during Suu Kyi's visit, something which rights groups have balked at.

Source: Sunday Times September 06, 2016 13:18 UTC