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Burma-US meeting held in New York Burma-US meeting held in New York
(about 7 hours later)
A senior US diplomatic official has reportedly met with a delegation from Burma on the margins of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York. A top US official has confirmed to the BBC that he has held a meeting with a Burmese minister in New York - the first such high-level talks in decades.
Kurt Campbell, assistant US secretary of state for Asia, is thought to have met Burma's science minister U Thaung. Kurt Campbell, assistant US secretary of state for Asia, said he met Health Minister U Thaung on the margins of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
Meanwhile US Senator Mitch McConnell restated Washington's demand that Burma must release its political prisoners and hold fair elections. It came a day after the US announced a new policy on Burma, which consists of a mix of sanctions and dialogue.
He added that sanctions against the Burmese junta must stay. Washington imposed sanctions on Burma in 1988.
His comments came after Burma's prime minister, General Thein Sein, demanded an end to economic sanctions in an address to the UN General Assembly. But US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week that neither sanctions nor isolation had worked on their own.
Sanctions Short-term goals
"Sanctions are being employed as a political tool against [Burma] and we consider them unjust," said Thein Sein, the highest-ranking Burmese official to address the General Assembly in 14 years. Kurt Campbell described his two-hour meeting with the Burmese minister as formal, careful and very respectful.
"Such acts must be stopped," he said. He said that he had made very clear to the Burmese what was expected of them for this new dialogue to continue.
The United States cannot "even consider" easing sanctions until the military-led country has freed all political prisoners, including pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said. At the top of the list were the issues of human rights and the treatment of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
"The United States must also insist that Burma comply with its international obligations and end any prohibited military or proliferation-related co-operation with North Korea," he said. Washington is also concerned about nuclear proliferation and ties with North Korea.
Indonesia, a leading member of the Association of South East Asian Nations which includes Burma, has hailed the United States' decision to engage with Burma. Mr Campbell said the new policy also had short-term goals such as exposing the next generation of officials to outside influence and improving humanitarian assistance for the Burmese.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hasan Wirayuda called on the Burmese generals to respond positively to the US offer, perhaps by cutting back the time in which Aung San Suu Kyi is detained. Mr Campbell said the minister had presented him with a picture of encirclement and insurgencies, which informs the world view of the country's military leadership.
Burma plans to hold its first election in two decades next year, but few observers believe the process will be free or fair. The US official said it was Burma that had made the first step towards dialogue, but he added it remained unclear precisely why.