Following an hour-long meeting with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at her Yangon home, John McCain said there remains "a great deal to be done" in the nation, which has recently begun to emerge from the shadow of military rule.
His visit, the latest in a flurry of international diplomatic advances since the new leadership embarked on a series of reforms, comes as Western powers have indicated a willingness to review strict sanctions against the country.
McCain told reporters that he had urged President Thein Sein to continue in the right direction at a meeting in the capital Naypyidaw on Sunday morning, but had added the US does not "expect miracles".
"We made it very clear that we are pleased with the progress that has been made but we said there are a number of issues that need to be addressed including the rule of law, including ethnic conflicts and of course progress towards free and fair elections," he said.
The senator said he had pressed Thein Sein to allow international observers to monitor by-elections on April 1, but had received no commitment from the president, a former junta general who took power in March.
Suu Kyi is running for a parliamentary seat in the vote, one of several dramatic developments in recent months.
Reforms have also included the release this month of hundreds of political prisoners, leading US President Barack Obama to call for the resumption of full diplomatic ties.
Speaking in Bangkok on Saturday, McCain said the US would likely begin to lift sanctions if the by-elections were free and fair, but he also expressed caution, saying Washington should not "rush into judgments that we may regret later on".
Last week, diplomats indicated that the European Union was considering whether to begin lifting sanctions in February, although the by-election was also seen as a key litmus test by Britain and France.
(Uu.B002)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
