U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill Friday highlighted the importance for Asia and the whole world of making Myanmar "a good member of ASEAN" and resolving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue through cooperation of related parties.
When delivering a speech at Thailand's Chulalongkorn University,Hill said the United States wants a formal and regular diplomatic relationship with Myanmar.
The senior U.S. diplomat said he wanted to see Myanmar become a "good" and "positive productive member" of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), on the premises that Myanmar change its attitude and respond.
Though admitting that imposing sanctions is not the best choice, he still urged more countries to get involved in the process to pressure Myanmar's military regime to open political dialogue with opposition figures and facilitate UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari's free access to parties concerned in the country.
The United States would also continue to work closely with ASEAN and other countries like China to "promote harmony" in Myanmar, as well as for further progress on the Korean nuclear issue.
Hill, who is also chief U.S. nuclear envoy, reiterated that the Korean nuclear issue is not only a challenge to the United States, but also a problem to the whole neighborhood in Asia and the world.
He also stressed the importance of a well-working U.S.-China relationship to the other countries.
A good U.S.-China relationship would be very helpful to all the countries in the region and the world, he said, adding "I assure you that we're going to make it work ... in no one's expense."
Hill said the United States welcomes China's role in Southeast Asia, and would like to work with China as well as other parties such as ASEAN to solve regional issues, like the one with Myanmar and the Korean nuclear issue.
Source: Xinhua
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