London: Buoyed by recent developments in
Myanmar, democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi believes the country
will hold democratic elections "in my lifetime".
In an interview with the BBC, the opposition leader on Thursday
said she did not know when that would be or whether she would
stand for president of Myanmar, but insisted that political
prisoners must be freed.
Her party, National League for Democracy, has now been
registered as a political party.
The interview coincided with the visit of Foreign
secretary William Hague to Myanmar, the first by a British
Foreign Secretary since 1955.
Suu Kyi, 66, said she foresaw "full democratic elections
in my lifetime", adding "but then I don't know how long I will
live" or whether she would live "a normal lifespan".
On the present leadership in the country, Suu Kyi
described the president, as an "honest man" though she did not
know all the members of the present government.
"I trust the president, but I can't yet trust the
government for the simple reason that I don't yet know all the
members of government," she said.
"The most important thing about the president is that he
is an honest man.... He is a man capable of taking risks if he
thinks they are worthwhile," the iconic opposition leader
said.
Asked whether the day was coming when she would run for
the top office, she said: "I can't even tell whether this is
something that I would like to do or would do." ?
Hague said after meeting his counterpart Wunna Maung Lwi
in Nay Pyi Taw that "the foreign minister has reaffirmed
commitments that have been made to release political
prisoners".
Suu Kyi said the country had made progress but it was not
"as fast as a lot of us would like it to be. But on the other
hand I don't think it's too slow. It's slow but not too slow,"
she said.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, January 05, 2012, 17:41