US envoy
September 9, 2011
Mitchell, who was appointed as the first US coordinator for policy on Myanmar last month, began the visit by meeting foreign minister Wunna Maung Lwin in the capital Naypyidaw, according to a government official.
He is scheduled to see a variety of other senior figures including speakers in the parliament, formed after last November's controversial elections, before returning to Yangon on Saturday.
Mitchell, a veteran policymaker on Asia, will meet democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday, according to her spokesman Nyan Win.
The isolated nation's nominally civilian government has recently appeared to be seeking to improve its image by reaching out to critics such as Suu Kyi, who last month met President Thein Sein, a former general, for the first time.
In his Senate confirmation hearing in June, Mitchell said he would seek "direct and candid" dialogue with Myanmar's leaders but that the United States should be flexible in its approach.
His post was created when Congress, under then-president George W. Bush, approved a law on Myanmar in 2008 that tightened sanctions against the country, but the position was not filled at the time due to a political dispute. After taking power in 2009 President Barack Obama's administration changed tack, concluding that the sanctions aimed at isolating Myanmar had been ineffective.
Author: Manasi Gopalakrishnan (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Grahame Lucas