WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday the US would begin the process of exchanging ambassadors with Burma in response to reforms enacted in the once-isolated country.
The announcement came after Burma released hundreds of its most prominent political prisoners, including dissidents, journalists and a former premier.
“This is a substantial and serious step forward in the government’s stated commitment to political reform,” Clinton said of the mass pardon. “I applaud it and the entire international community should as well.”
The US currently has no full ambassador appointed to Burma, with a charge d’affaires its highest diplomat in the country.
Clinton made a historic visit to Burma last year following a surprising series of reformist moves by the Burmese government, including the release of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest and the nominal end to decades of military rule.