Thein Sein pledges "irreversible change" Myanmar's president Thein Sein pledged an "unprecedented and irreversible course of change" in his country and for the first time credited the compromises made by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for helping facilitate the radical reforms his government has undertaken over the past year. In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Mr Thein Sein, who came to power 18 months ago, praised Ms Suu Kyi and gave the clearest commitment so far to further reforms - including economic and social changes and the sensitive issue of ethnic and sectarian conflicts. The president's stress on democratisation and reforms in areas such as labour, environment and ethnic conflicts signalled a marked departure from the assurances he gave Chinese leaders during his China visit last week, that Myanmar remained a loyal and committed friend of China. Mr Thein Sein was speaking hours after the US said it would start lifting a ban on the import of goods from Myanmar. Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state, said on Wednesday night that the gradual lifting of the ban, which has been in place for most of the past two decades, was a response to the country's continued implementation of political and economic reforms. In remarks that appeared more tailored to western governments" concerns, Mr Thein Sein told the UN: "Our legislature is becoming more vibrant. Landmark pieces of legislation have been approved over the past year often after tough debate. Nobel laureate . . . Aung San Suu Kyi, a longtime opposition figure, is now the chairperson of the legislative oversight committee responsible for the rule of law. Dispelling speculation that he might feel the opposition leader, who has received a hero's welcome on her current 17-day US visit, has overshadowed his own brief trip to the UN, the president said: "I am very pleased that she is in New York as well this week. I have seen that during her tour she has been widely praised for her contributions to democratic change. As a Myanmar citizen, I am proud of her achievements and the recognition she has received. In unusually frank acknowledgment of lingering ethnic and religious conflict, Mr Thein Sein said despite the signing of peace agreements with 10 main ethnic groups, fighting continued in northern Kachin state. However, he added, resolving the issue was a "top priority" and after three rounds of talks with Kachin military and political leaders, "an end to the longest-running war in the world is now within reach." Ending the fighting in the Kachin state is my priority. The death of any soldier, from the Myanmar armed forces or the Kachin Independence Army, is the death of a Myanmar national. It is a loss for our country. It must stop," he said. Pursuing a dramatically different approach from that of previous military-led regimes, Mr Thein Sein's government has set up a "peace secretariat" to liaise with numerous ethnic groups and oversee economic and social development in their areas. "We must not only aim for simple ceasefires, but towards a genuine peace agreement that satisfies the political aspirations and addresses the core grievances of all ethnic communities in Myanmar," he said. The president indicated fresh resolve to tackle tensions in Rakhine state in western Myanmar, scene of bitter sectarian violence in June between Muslim Rohingya and Rakhine Buddhists - one of the most sensitive issues in his country, where there is widespread resentment of the mainly stateless population of nearly 1m Rohingya Muslims. In a marked departure from his earlier position, when he asked UN officials in July to help either deport or accommodate Rohingya in camps, he said the country needs a solution in Rakhine "that is both just and consistent with international standards." "I recognise the need to address humanitarian need and respect the fundamental human rights of all people, including their freedom of religion," he said. However, he added that Myanmar "also has the right to guard its borders, prevent illegal immigration and defend its sovereignty." On the issue of relations with the political opposition - once the target of arrest and intimidation by previous military rulers - Mr Thein Sein gave the strongest public praise to Ms Suu Kyi, saying Myanmar's move from an authoritarian system to a democratic one would not have been possible without the compromises of "former rival groups" - referring to Ms Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy - and the increasing political participation of ordinary people. Such political developments, he said, "would not have been possible without two key ingredients: firstly the political tolerance and willingness to compromise of former rival groups and secondly, increasing political participation on the part of ordinary people. People are now less afraid to engage in political activities and more willing to play their role in shaping the destiny of their country. He added: "Only with the political legitimacy that comes from democratic government will we be able to achieve lasting stability, which in turn must be the cornerstone for economic development." Highlighting the extraordinary nature of Myanmar's challenge, he made a plea for understanding from the international community, saying, "We are attempting something that has rarely if ever been duplicated: a political transition from authoritarianism to democracy, at the same time as the opening up and reform of an impoverished economy of 60m people, at the same time as trying to end six decades of civil war and bring about peaceful end to at least 11 different armed conflicts." At the same time, he stressed the need for a "moral component" to economic policies, urging "ethical considerations" in the drive for growth. One example, he said, was his government's commitment to signing the extractive industries transparency initiative, which sets a strict code for all extractive projects from mining to oil production. Mr Thein Sein's initiatives have been warmly welcomed by western governments. He has started "a totally different course" for the country, Burton Levin, a former US ambassador to Myanmar in the late 1980s, said last week. US policy on Myanmar had previously been based on a "vague hope" that a leader would emerge in the military government to pursue reforms. While Mr Levin warned that Myanmar still faced economic and political challenges that could "derail continued progress," he noted the reform movement now had "strong momentum."