U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says military cooperation
between North Korea and Burma would be very destabilizing for the
region, and would pose a direct threat to Burma's neighbors.
She says Washington is taking regional concerns about this connection "very seriously."
Clinton addressed the concerns on Tuesday in Bangkok after meeting Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. She will join a regional security conference in Phuket on Wednesday.
North Korea's possible cooperation with Burma made headlines in June, when the U.S. Navy began tracking a North Korean ship believed to be traveling to Burma with suspicious cargo.
The ship returned to North Korea without ever docking in Burma.
Clinton says the United States is open to a productive partnership with Burma if the military government ends the mistreatment of jailed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political and minority groups.
Clinton traveled to Thailand from India, where she met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
During the visit, the countries signed two agreements that could pave the way for major Indian purchases of U.S. military equipment and civilian nuclear technology.
In one agreement, India approved two sites where U.S. companies will have exclusive rights to build nuclear power plants. The projects are estimated to be worth $10 billion.
The other agreement is intended to ensure that highly sophisticated U.S. military technology provided to India is not sold or otherwise transferred to other countries.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
She says Washington is taking regional concerns about this connection "very seriously."
Clinton addressed the concerns on Tuesday in Bangkok after meeting Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. She will join a regional security conference in Phuket on Wednesday.
North Korea's possible cooperation with Burma made headlines in June, when the U.S. Navy began tracking a North Korean ship believed to be traveling to Burma with suspicious cargo.
The ship returned to North Korea without ever docking in Burma.
Clinton says the United States is open to a productive partnership with Burma if the military government ends the mistreatment of jailed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political and minority groups.
Clinton traveled to Thailand from India, where she met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
During the visit, the countries signed two agreements that could pave the way for major Indian purchases of U.S. military equipment and civilian nuclear technology.
In one agreement, India approved two sites where U.S. companies will have exclusive rights to build nuclear power plants. The projects are estimated to be worth $10 billion.
The other agreement is intended to ensure that highly sophisticated U.S. military technology provided to India is not sold or otherwise transferred to other countries.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
