Washington: The United States has welcomed the Myanmar government's announcement for the formation of a committee on political prisoners, terming it as an important step in the national reconciliation process.
"Myanmar government's announcement that it has authorised the formation of a Committee on Political Prisoners comprised of government officials, civil society actors, and political parties to review and release all remaining political prisoners," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said.
On Thursday, state media said Myanmar President Thein Sein's government had formed a committee to review political prisoner cases "to grant them liberty."
Nuland said Myanmar has made good progress on this issue, releasing more than 700 political prisoners over the past 18 months.
"We look forward to supporting the implementation of this process," she added.
"By establishing an inclusive, transparent review mechanism to ensure the release of all remaining political prisoners, the government has taken an important step towards national reconciliation; we look forward to supporting the implementation of this process," Nuland said.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, February 09, 2013, 12:55