No Backsliding

Obama, Suu Kyi Urge More Burma Reforms

As liberalization stalls.

President Obama and Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi called for the country's government to improve the pace of political and economic reform, noting that despite some progress, liberalization has slowed. Appearing with Suu Kyi at a press conference in Rangoon, Obama said that while important changes have been made, reform is "by no means complete, nor irreversible." He mentioned a provision in the Southeast Asian nation's constitution that prevents candidates from running for president because of their children's nationality, saying it made no sense. Suu Kyi said reform is "going through a bumpy patch" and warned against too much optimism that could lead to complacency. The two leaders spoke after a private meeting at the lakeside home in which Suu Kyi spent much of her more than two decades in confinement.