Suu Kyi can be president, says Thein Sein
Burma's leader Thein Sein has said in an interview he would accept democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi as president if elected.
The Burma leader, whose meeting with Ms Suu Kyi in
New York marked the latest sign of warm relations between the nation's
leader and its most famous former political prisoner, told the BBC that
there were "no problems" between them.
"If the people accept her, I will have to accept her. As I said before, we are now working together," he said.
But he insisted that he could not act alone to
remove the barriers impeding the democracy champion's route to the
presidency, as the country heads towards crucial 2015 elections.
Burma's constitution currently prohibits those with
close foreign relatives from holding high office and Ms Suu Kyi, who
married a British academic, has two sons living in the West.
"I alone cannot change the constitution. This
depends on the wish of the people and also the wishes of the members of
parliament," he said.
Thein Sein also underscored the continuing
importance of the military, which is guaranteed a quarter of the seats
in Burma's parliament.
"The constitution clearly defines the
responsibility of the military and every sector of the parliament. We
cannot exclude the army from politics," he said.
Thein Sein has won international plaudits - and the
suspension or lifting of most Western sanctions - for the fast pace of
change in Burma since he took the helm of a quasi-civilian regime last
year.
Hundreds of political prisoners have been freed and
Ms Suu Kyi - herself locked up for a total of 15 years - has now
entered parliament after her National League for Democracy (NLD) party
swept key by-elections in April.
Thein Sein, who was a senior figure in the previous
junta, has met Ms Suu Kyi on several occasions amid efforts to steer
the long-isolated country towards democracy and economic prosperity.
In his address to the United Nations this week, the
Burma leader went further than ever in his praise of the veteran
activist, whose struggle for change in her impoverished homeland has
earned her deep affection both at home and abroad.
"As a Myanmar [Burma] citizen I would like to
congratulate her for the honours she has received in this country in
recognition of her efforts for democracy," he said.