Sen. McConnell Visits Myanmar, Meets Aung San Suu Kyi

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will be in Myanmar this weekend to meet government officials and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.This will be McConnell’s first meeting with the Nobel Peace Prize recipient, who was under house arrest for years after speaking out against the government. Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since the 1960s, but the junta ruling the country began to unravel last year.Myanmar government officials have since announced peace talks with a leading rebel group and have signed a cease fire agreement freeing hundreds of prisoners.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said this week the U.S. would send its first ambassador to Myanmar in nearly two decades.McConnell is one of several U.S. officials that plan to visit the Southeast Asian nation. He is scheduled to meet with Suu Kyi and government officials and discuss political reform and relations.