Obama to meet Myanmar, other ASEAN leaders

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks as he meets with members of the Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House on September 10, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Olivier Douliery-Pool, Getty Images)

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — President Barack Obama will meet leaders of Southeast Asian nations, including Myanmar, during his upcoming Asian tour.

The Nov. 15 meeting between Obama and leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will take place on the sidelines of an economic conference in Singapore.

Myanmar's prime minister will attend the meeting. The talks are to be the highest-level contact between Myanmar and the U.S. in decades. It will be a high-level affirmation of Washington's new policy of engaging the military-ruled country despite its dismal human rights record.

Officials have not said if Obama will meet privately with the Myanmar prime minister.

Under Obama, Washington has reversed the Bush administration's policy of shunning Myanmar. Now the U.S. government favors direct talks with the Southeast Asian country that has been ruled by the military since 1962.

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