Burma or Myanmar? WH grappling with name game
As a "diplomatic courtesy," the U.S. government "has begun to allow limited use of the name Myanmar" to describe the former pariah state of Burma as it inches closer toward democracy, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Monday.
In a photo op Monday afternoon with Burma's president, Thein Sein, President Obama repeatedly referred to the nation as Myanmar, though Carney insisted the official U.S. policy "remains that Burma is the name of the country." Carney said the use of "Myanmar" demonstrates respect for a government pursuing an "ambitious reform program."
"Burma has taken a number of positive reforms, including releasing over 850 political prisoners, easing media restriction, permitting freedom of speech, assembly, and movement," Carney said. "We have responded by expanding our engagement with the government, easing a number of sanctions, and, as a courtesy, in appropriate settings more frequently using the name 'Myanmar.'"
Concurrent with President Thein's visit to the White House, the State Department on Monday issued a report on the global status of religious freedom, noting that Burma "implemented considerable political reforms, but the trend in the government's respect for religious freedom did not change significantly during the year." Also citing abuses by Thein's government toward Muslim groups and sexual violence targeting minorities, among other things, the report said some sanctions will remain in place.
Mr. Obama in November became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Burma, spending a day there during his Southeast Asia trip and angering some human rights activists who believe the country still has to prove it has evolved from its years of brutal military rule.
Though he conceded the nation "has a long way to go," the president during a press conference there congratulated Burma "on having opened the door to a country that respects human rights and respects political freedom." He said the visit was "not an endorsement of the Burmese government," but rather "an acknowledgement that there's a process under way inside that country, that even a year and a half, two years ago, nobody foresaw."
CBS News' Mark Knoller and Margaret Brennan contributed to this report.
