- U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) meets with Myanmar's President
Thein Sein at the President's Office in Naypyitaw December 1, 2011.
Clinton prepared for her first substantive talks with Myanmar's new
leaders on Thursday, a meeting U.S. officials hope will embolden
reformers in the reclusive country where entrenched military interests
still loom large. REUTERS/Saul Loeb/Pool (MYANMAR - Tags: POLITICS)
Remarks With Burmese President Thein Sein Before Their Meeting
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Waldorf Astoria Hotel
New York City
September 26, 2012
PRESIDENT THEIN SEIN: (Via
interpreter) (Inaudible) ambassador to the United States (inaudible). I
believe that our subsequent meetings have contributed a lot to the
strengthening health of our bilateral relations between Myanmar and the
United States. And on behalf of the people of Myanmar, we would like to
extend our gratitude to Madam Secretary, who has opened a new chapter in
our bilateral relations. The improvement of our bilateral relations, we
can see that for instance, we now we have the – our diplomatic
relations have been at the ambassadorial level.
And the people of
Myanmar are very pleased that – on the news of easing of economic
sanctions by the United States and we are grateful for the action by the
United States. The democratic reform path that we have (inaudible). We
still need to continue our path on democratic reforms, but with the
recognition and the support from the champion of democracy like the
United States, it has been an encouragement for us to continue our
chosen path. And I would like to take this opportunity to express my
cordial greeting to the President Obama and my best wishes for election
campaign. I would personally like to (inaudible) to President Obama.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well,
Mr. President, it’s wonderful to see you again, as you say, for our
third meeting. I believe we have had productive discussions in Nay Pyi
Taw and in Siem Reap, and I look forward to such a discussion here in
New York. We have watched as you and your government have continued the
steady process of reform, and we’ve been pleased to respond with
specific steps that recognize the government’s efforts and encourage
further reform.
And in recognition of the continued progress
toward reform and in response to requests from both the government and
the opposition, the United States is taking the next step in normalizing
our commercial relationship. We will begin the process of easing
restrictions on imports of Burmese goods into the United States. We hope
this will provide more opportunities for your people to sell their
goods into our market. As we do so, we will continue consulting with
Congress and other relevant stakeholders about additional steps, while
at the same time working with you and supporting those who are hoping
that the reform will be permanent and progress will be continuing.
We
recognize, Mr. President, that you are doing many things at once –
political reform, moving toward a democratic change; economic reform,
moving toward greater connection of your country with the global
economy; working to end ethnic conflicts as you move toward peace and
stability for your country.
So I look forward to our discussion today, Mr. President. Thank you.
