REUTERS, SINGAPORE- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Southeast Asian nations on Wednesday to put more pressure on Myanmar's junta to improve human rights and adopt democratic reforms. Speaking after meeting foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations, Rice said ASEAN especially needs to push Myanmar to release political prisoners, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. "We believe that ASEAN has an important role to play in addressing the root cause of Burma's grave problems -- the repression of Burma's democracy movement," Rice said. "It was in the interest of ASEAN and the people of Burma to persuade Myanmar's leaders to free political prisoners and to open up a dialogue with the democracy movement," she added. ASEAN foreign ministers, frustrated after years of fruitless...
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