US senators sets Myanmar by-election as watershed for sanctions

Jan 21, 2012, 11:59 GMT

Bangkok - US Senator John McCain on Saturday said a free and fair by-election in Myanmar on April 1 could prove a watershed for ending sanctions upon the once pariah-state.

'There is no doubt in my mind that, if there is a free and fair election, there will be no problem coordinating with every country in the world to bring the sanctions to a close,' said McCain, who was a US presidential nominee in 2008.

McCain and three other US senators will travel to Myanmar on Sunday, where they are scheduled to meet with Myanmar President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on an assessment trip of the country's seemingly rapid strides towards reform.

Senator Joe Lieberman noted that lifting some sanctions on Myanmar would require legislative amendments, which will take time, while others could be lifted by the US president. Sanctions have been in place since 1988, after a brutal army crackdown on demonstrators that left 3,000 dead.

Lieberman stressed that US foreign policy remains linked to the views of Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi, whose struggle for democracy has been followed worldwide.

'Our reaction to what happens in Myanmar will be greatly dependent on the reaction of Aung San Suu Kyi,' Lieberman said.

Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party have agreed to contest a by-election on April 1, for 48 seats left vacant when the current government came to office in March.

When US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton visited Myanmar in December, she promised to reward positive steps taken by the government with positive steps in US policy.

On January 13, the government released more than 300 political prisoners, among them many prominent activists. In response, the US announced plans to name an ambassador to Myanmar, a post left vacant for more than two decades.

Clinton has also demanded a free and fair by-election and the cessation of all hostilities against Myanmar's ethnic minority groups.

McCain expressed scepticism about the government's recent efforts to sign peace pacts with at least four insurgencies.

'Let's remember that this is really one of the most repressive regimes on earth,' McCain cautioned.

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