U.S. official - Further progress needed to lift Burma import ban

by admin
Jul 23, 2012
The United States have declined to state whether an import ban on Burmese goods will be lifted in the future, with an official commenting that the country had more reforming to do.

According to Reuters, Under Secretary of State Robert Hormats told the Center for Strategic and International Studies that he was pleased with the path that Burma was currently taking. Having met with  Myanmar's President Thein Sein earlier this month with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Hormats said,
"In the meeting with Secretary Clinton, (Thein Sein) was very clear that he wanted to do things to improve the living standards of his people ... He was very direct, and I think very persuasive and credible,"
But Hormats declined to comment on whether a US import ban on the country, which was reauthorised by the senate's finance committee, would come to an end and stated that more steps needed to be taken, such as releasing political prisoners.

The ban, which has been in place since 2003, comes as some sanctions placed on Burma have been eased, in response to government reforms.

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