Hillary ask Myanmar to free Aung San Suu Kyi

2009-11-12 18:27:14 - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on Myanmar to free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Stepping up the pressure ahead of President Barack Obama's meeting with the junta's premier, she said the US will continue to call for her unconditional release. The Nobel laureate has spent most of the past 20 years under house arrest after her party won party won the 1990 general elections. The United States has urged ASEAN nations to convince Burma to hold transparent general elections as US President Barack Obama leaves on his debut presidential Asia tour on Thursday. He is scheduled to meet ASEAN leaders in Singapore for the ASEAN – US Summit this week.Hillary Clinton, United States Secretary of State on Wednesday spoke about Burma’s election after a meeting with foreign ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), including seven member countries from ASEAN, which was held in Singapore. "We would like to see countries individually and through ASEAN reach out to the Burmese leadership, persuade them that it's time to start planning for free, fair and credible elections in 2010," Clinton said.Hillary Clinton said Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi, is in detention for fourteen years had "every right, as any person should have...to participate in the active democratic life" of her country. "We believe that her detention over so many years is baseless and not founded on any concern other than she is the leader of the political opposition," Clinton said at a news conference in the Philippine capital, Manila. Clinton called for the opposition to be allowed to take part in the reclusive state's planned 2010 election.She also said there could be high-level contacts with the former Burma's junta at a meeting this weekend of Southeast Asian states to be attended by U.S. President Barack Obama -- though no formal bilateral meeting was planned. "First of all there is no meeting," she told reporters. "There may very well be an opportunity for the leaders, including myself, including the president, to meet the leaders of Burma, something that we have not done before."Clinton said of next year's planned election: "I will underscore our skepticism about an election that does not include all of the people or their representatives who are in opposition." Further she added that there were no plans, to drop U.S. economic sanctions on Myanmar.Media agencies Author: Naresh Sagar e-mail Web: www.nksagar.com Phone: 9810974027