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          Burmese President to Meet with US Lawmakers, Sign Trade Deal

   by VOA News

   Burmese President Thein Sein is to meet with senior lawmakers in
   Washington Tuesday as he continues his landmark visit to the United
   States.
   The Burmese leader will meet with Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid, key
   senators who have helped guide the U.S. relationship with that
   Southeast Asian nation as it emerges from decades of direct military
   rule.
   During a Monday meeting at the White House, President Barack Obama
   praised the ex-military general for leading a series of dramatic
   political and economic reforms since taking office in 2011.
   "We very much appreciate your efforts and leadership in leading Myanmar
   in a new direction and we want you to know that the United States will
   make every effort to assist you on what I know is a long and sometimes
   difficult but ultimately correct path to follow," said Obama.
   The Obama administration already has suspended most of its economic
   sanctions against Burma. It plans to go a step further on Tuesday,
   signing an agreement that U.S. officials say will boost trade, labor
   standards and investment.
   But arguably one of the most important aspects of President Thein
   Sein's trip is its symbolic value. He is the first Burmese
   head-of-state to visit the U.S. in nearly 50 years.
   Some rights groups argue that offering such a distinction to Burma's
   military dominated government sends the wrong message and wastes
   valuable leverage that could be used to push for more democratic
   reforms.
   Aiming to keep that pressure up, small groups of protesters have been
   present at some stops on Thein Sein's trip this week. Outside the White
   House Monday, protesters carried signs demanding an end to ethnic
   violence targeting Burma's Muslims.
   At a town hall meeting Sunday at the Voice of America, the Burmese
   leader said the communal violence against Muslims in western Burma is
   criminal activity, and not civil strife.  He also acknowledged what he
   called "heavy handed" actions by some police in their efforts to
   control political dissent in his country, and said both protesters and
   police must understand their responsibilities as democracy takes hold.
   Burmese authorities have repeatedly disputed accusations by rights
   groups that security forces ignore or participate in the violence.
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   makers-sign-trade-deal/1665055.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/burmese-president-to-meet-with-us-lawmakers-sign-trade-deal/1665055.html