BALI: Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's most prominent democracy campaigner, announced on Friday she would rejoin the political system of the military-backed government that persecuted her for more than two decades.
Her announcement came shortly after president Obama disclosed that he was sending secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton on a visit there in December, the first by a secretary of state in more than 50 years.
The twin events underscored the remarkable and sudden pace of change in Myanmar, which has stunned observers inside and outside the country.
The reentry of Suu Kyi and her party into formal politics was seen as a milestone in reconciliation efforts between military leadership and the country's democracy movement. The party's decision was unanimous.
"For decades Americans have been deeply concerned about the denial of basic human rights for the Burmese people," Obama said. "The persecution of democratic reformers, the brutality shown toward ethnic minorities and the concentration of power in the hands of a few military leaders has challenged our conscience and isolated Burma from the United States and much of the world."
But he added that "after years of darkness, we've seen flickers of progress in these last several weeks" as the president and parliament in Myanmar have taken steps toward reform. "Of course there's far more to be done," Obama said.
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, her announcement on Friday was greeted by cheers.
"Mother Suu, we support you!" the crowd chanted, using the party leader's nickname , according to a witness. Others depicted her decision as portentous.
"The pace of political change in Burma has exceeded all expectations," Thant Myint-U , a historian and former United Nations official. "We're on the verge of a historic compromise."
Obama will see president U Thein Sein of Myanmar at Friday's broader meeting of Pacific Rim leaders but will not have a one-on-one encounter.