Clinton Moves to Upgrade Myanmar Ties After Prisoners Released

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called her Myanmar counterpart after the Southeast Asian nation released hundreds of political prisoners, as the U.S. moved to upgrade relations strained for more than two decades.

Clinton spoke with Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to welcome the release of detainees and a cease-fire with the country’s largest armed ethnic group, Victoria Nuland, a spokeswoman for the State Department, said on Jan. 14. Both were conditions Clinton set for lifting sanctions during a visit to Myanmar last month.