Myanmar needs 'sustainable aid': Suu Kyi

Published on May 7, 2012  ...

BERLIN (AFP) - Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on Sunday that her country needs 'sustainable, sound aid' as it embarks on a tentative transition to democracy.

Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi smiles during a news conference after a meeting with Melanne Verveer (not in picture), U.S. ambassador-at-large for Global Women's Issues, in Suu Kyi's home at Yangon May 6, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Asked what she expected of the international community after she was sworn in on Wednesday as a member of parliament, she told the German weekly Welt am Sonntag: 'Not too much euphoria but rather long-term support for the country.' 'What we need is sustainable, sound aid,' she said.

The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate said she was wary of the 'great enthusiasm linked to this period, (because) things take time.' Ms Suu Kyi took public office for the first time after being held under house arrest for much of the last 20 years.

Asked about her decision to take the oath of office after initially refusing because it required a vow to 'safeguard' the constitution, which accords broad powers to Myanmar's military, she said: 'It's the road towards a state of law.'

'The fight against poverty can be sustainable and fruitful only if people can defend their rights,' she said, adding that 'allowing individuals to meet their needs must go hand in hand with political reforms.'

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