U.S. welcomes Myanmar election, watching military to honour results
By David Brunnstrom and Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday welcomed Myanmar's election as a victory for the Burmese people but said it would watch for the democratic process to move forward before making any adjustments to U.S. sanctions. Supporters of Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi were confident her party had won a landslide victory Sunday in the first free general election in 25 years, with the biggest question whether the margin was enough to claim the presidency. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the election process in Myanmar was encouraging and "represents an important step in Burma's democratic process." He cautioned there were still flaws in Myanmar's political system and said it was too soon to discuss any U.S. policy changes. "What is clear is that for the first time ever, millions of people in Burma voted in a meaningful, competitive election," Earnest told a daily briefing. Earlier, the U.S. State Department's top Asia diplomat said preliminary indications were that the elections went "quite smoothly." Daniel Russel, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia, said that after 50 years of military dictatorship, "this was a hell of a step forward for the democratic process in Burma" but added: "Now comes the hard part." For the United States and the international community to provide the kind of support Myanmar needed, Russel said, the transition from the current government to the future administration "is going to have to be credible." The U.S. officials said the president and military leadership of Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, had publicly reaffirmed that they would accept the election results. "The United States, and I believe other members of the international community, have every intention of holding them to that," Russel said. Russel said it was too early to evaluate the overall conduct of Sunday's voting or say whether the election could lead to a lifting of remaining U.S. sanctions. This would depend on what happens next, he said. "The further the process of reform moves, the more credible and respectable the political process is, the greater the support and the lower the hurdles for the U.S. government, and I suspect other governments, to actively support a new Burmese government, including through adjustments to our policies." Washington and the European Union started lifting economic sanctions on Myanmar after the formation of a quasi-civilian government in 2011, but more than a hundred individuals and businesses are still subject to U.S. restrictions. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Doina Chiacu; Editing by James Dalgleish)
