Obama, Suu Kyi talk democracy

The US president met his fellow Nobel laureate in Yangon on Friday. Many expect the National League for Democracy (NLD) to sweep the 2015 polls, but Suu Kyi, a lawmaker who has become the party's figurehead since her release from house arrest in 2010, cannot assume the presidency because of a constitutional clause barring people with close relations to foreigners from the country's leadership. Her two sons hold British citizenship, as did her late husband.

Following the pair's meeting, Obama urged Myanmar's officials to ensure "free, fair and inclusive elections." He called the country's transition to democracy "by no means complete or irreversible."

In a 2012 trip to Myanmar, Obama had thrown his political might behind Suu Kyi to help lead Myanmar's transition from junta rule. He seems to have since dialed back his hopes for a quick change, calling instead now for a "broad and long view" of democracy there. During his two-night trip to Myanmar this year, the US leader also raised alarm over the direction of reforms, citing the cramping of freedom of expression, ongoing conflicts and the treatment of minority groups, especially the Muslim Rohingya.

Suu Kyi said the reform process had experienced "a bumpy patch." She added that, without real reforms, she could not say whether her NLD could win the 2015 elections after all: "What we need is a healthy balance between optimism and pessimism." Suu Kyi also said that she worried about the treatment of Rohingya, classified as one of the world's most vulnerable stateless populations, but that changes in the treatment of ethnic minorities must come "through the rule of law."

Ahead of Obama's visit, Twitter activists had circulated a hashtag campaign urging the US president to use the word Rohingya, which is officially discouraged by a Myanmar regime constantly under fire over accusations of ethnic cleansing. Many Rohingya have fled in response to threats of physical violence from their neighbors in the Rakhine state, where the group is concentrated. The #JustSayTheirName campaign had attracted prominent figures from around the world.

'I'm optimistic'

After talks late Thursday with President Thein Sein, Obama expressed cautious optimism for the nation. On his last visit to Myanmar - in 2012, a year after Thein Sein had begun to open up the country - Obama received a warm welcome from thrilled locals.

"The democratic process in Myanmar is real," Obama had said on Thursday. "We recognize change is hard and you do not always move in a straight line but I'm optimistic."

The regime has released most political prisoners since 2010. Foreign investors have arrived in lockstep with the lifting of most sanctions.

Many observers, however, say that reforms have stalled. Ahead of Obama's visit, Suu Kyi had cautioned against "overoptimism" by the United States. Even her star power, earned as the torchbearer of democracy during the dark junta years, has waned in the eyes of some.

mkg/glb (Reuters, AFP, dpa, AP)