YANGON — A senior US diplomat expressed concern to Myanmar's new army-backed government about the country's military ties with North Korea, the US embassy in Yangon said Friday.
During a three-day visit, Deputy US Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Joseph Yun also called for "meaningful, concrete steps" towards democracy, respect for human rights, and the release of political prisoners, a US embassy statement said.
He also met pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released from house arrest in November shortly after the poll.
Yun "conveyed US concerns about Burma's military relationship with North Korea and called on the government to abide by its public commitments to uphold UN Security Council resolutions in that regard," the statement added.
US diplomatic memos released last year by the website WikiLeaks said that Washington has suspected for years that Myanmar ran a secret nuclear programme supported by Pyongyang.
The UN Security Council imposed sanctions against North Korea after it carried out two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, banning it from dealing in nuclear and ballistic material.
Myanmar's junta -- which in March handed over power to a nominally civilian government -- has dismissed reports of its nuclear intentions and brushed aside Western concerns about possible cooperation with North Korea.
US President Barack Obama's administration in 2009 launched a drive to engage with Myanmar's junta, which in November held the country's first election in 20 years.
But Washington has voiced disappointment with the results of the dialogue and refused to ease sanctions after the November poll, which was marred by complaints of cheating and won by the military's political proxies.
During his trip, Yun held talks with Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin in the highest-level meeting between the two nations since the handover of power to the new government.
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