US senator to visit Burma

by Mungpi
Friday, 07 August 2009 15:59

New Delhi (Mizzima) - United States Senator Jim Webb, representing Virginia state, will visit military-ruled Burma on Sunday “to explore opportunities to advance U.S. interests in Burma and the region”, his office said on Thursday.

Senator Webb, who will be visiting the region as Chairman of East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will be the first US senator to visit Burma, which is currently facing economic sanctions by the US, in more than a decade.

“U.S. Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) will embark Sunday on a two-week, five-nation tour of Asia to explore opportunities to advance U.S. interests in Burma and the region,” his office said in a statement.

The announcement of the visit comes at a time when the US is vehemently critical of Burma’s ruling junta for conducting a trial of the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Bo Bo Kyaw Nyein, a former student activist turned Burmese political analyst, said the visit could be part of the US’s policy review on Burma and could possibly be timed for Aung San Suu Kyi’s court verdict on August 11.

The US has stated that it is reviewing its policy on Burma admitting that its previous policy of imposing sanctions have failed to bring the desired results. But the US also acknowledged that the regional countries’ policy of constructive engagement has also failed to move the Burmese generals to implement changes in the country.

Earlier in July, Secretary Hillary Clinton said in Thailand that US is willing to explore possibilities of investment if the junta releases Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who is currently awaiting a court verdict along with her two party mates, and an American intruder.

“This visit might also be related to what Secretary Clinton has said in Thailand. But whatever it is, this is definitely a surprising move,” Bo Bo Kyaw Nyien added.

Similarly, Aung Naing Oo, another Burmese political analyst based in Thailand, said Webb’s visit is surprising news and that it could mean the US is seriously reviewing its policy.

“It seems to me, this visit reveals that the US is looking at engaging Burma in terms of investment,” said Aung Naing Oo.

Webb’s office also said that the Senator will hold meetings with government representatives and industry leaders in Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.

While it is still not clear who Webb will be meeting in Burma, both analysts agree that accepting the Senator’s visit is a sign indicating the junta’s willingness to engage with the US.

Webb, a Vietnam veteran, served as Assistant Secretary of Defense and later as Secretary of the Navy in the Pentagon. He also served as an Asia-Pacific regional military planner in Guam, and in the 1990's worked as a consultant for companies wishing to do business in Vietnam.

He has served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee since joining the U.S. Senate in January 2007. In February he was elected as Chairman of the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.