Aung San Suu Kyi said Thursday she expected to live to see full democratic elections in Myanmar, ahead of historic talks with Britain’s foreign secretary, who called for more steps towards reform.
William Hague, the first British foreign minister to visit the military-dominated nation in more than half a century, urged the release of all political prisoners before holding talks with President Thein Sein.
He was due later on Thursday to meet Suu Kyi, the Nobel peace laureate who has grown cautiously positive about the country’s future since the installation of a nominally civilian regime after November 2010 elections.
“I think there will be a full democratic election in my lifetime, but then of course I don’t know how long I’m going to live,” Suu Kyi said in an interview with the BBC.
She added that her National League for Democracy (NLD) had been officially registered, passing the final hurdle to enable it to run in by-elections scheduled for April 1.
The 66-year-old opposition leader, who could enter parliament for the first time if she goes ahead with plans to contest the by-elections, was noncommittal on the prospects of eventually running for president.
