Clinton Welcomes Suu Kyi In Washington

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (right) meets with Burmese Member of Parliament and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to the State Department on September 18 at the start of Suu Kyi's three-week tour of the United States.

Clinton and the Nobel Peace Prize laureate are expected to discuss political changes in Burma (also known as Myanmar) and whether Washington should ease its remaining economic sanctions as the Southeast Asian country opens up after decades of repressive military rule.

The United States has been at the forefront of a Western policy of reengagement with Burma in response to democratic reforms.

Suu Kyi -- who was released in 2010 after years of house arrest and has since been elected to parliament -- will be presented with the Congressional Gold Medal on September 19.

She was granted the award in 2008 while still under house arrest.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP