Hillary Clinton set for Burma visit

US President Barack Obama has said he saw "flickers of progress" in Burma and pledged to send his secretary of state there next month.

Mr Obama said he had spoken for the first time with Nobel laureate and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

He said he was sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton next month to the country, officially known as Myanmar.

Mr Obama said the release of political prisoners and loosening of media restrictions, as well as Ms Suu Kyi's release last year from house arrest, were "the most important steps toward reform in Burma that we've seen in years".

"We want to seize what could be a historic opportunity for progress and make it clear that if Burma continues to travel down the road of democratic reform, it can forge a new relationship with the United States of America," Mr Obama said.

Washington has gradually tightened sanctions on Myanmar, now ruled by a civilian government after an election last year held with the main purpose of handing over power after nearly five decades of military rule.

Many Western governments have expressed doubts that the new civilian authority is committed to democratic change and has embarked on a different path from its military predecessors.

Mr Obama warned that if Burma did not move towards more openness, it would "continue to face sanctions and isolation".

A US official said the president had spoken to Ms Suu Kyi from Air Force One last night on his way to Indonesia, where he is attending a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders.

They reviewed progress made in Burma since her release last year and Mr Obama said she supported more American engagement in the isolated Southeast Asian nation.