A top U.S. official has called on Burma's military government to free pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said Aung San Suu Kyi's continued house arrest poses a real problem for Burma being able to rejoin the international community.
A Nobel laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the last 17 years under some form of detention. Her latest term of house arrest is up for review on May 27.
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won parliamentary elections in 1990. But the military junta did not allow it to take power.
Last week the United States said it is renewing sanctions on Burma for at least another year, saying the military government is becoming more brutal. The United Nations estimates there are at least 1,100 political prisoners in Burma.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
