In Burma, Obama revisits goal of keeping democratic path open NAYPYIDAW, Burma - Shortly after wrapping up a series of meetings with Southeast Asian leaders in a gleaming, modern convention center, President Obama took his motorcade down a narrow side street in Burma's capital Thursday and pulled up at a nondescript, three-story office building. He and several senior aides walked up two flights of dusty, wooden stairs and took their places around a wobbly, horseshoe-shaped table. Then the leader of the free world spent an hour talking with a dozen members of parliament with less influence than a freshman House member from a tiny district back in the United States. Such are the stakes of Burma's democracy project for the Obama administration that placed a big bet two years ago that the long-isolated nation could shake off 50 years of military rule. The president, having attended two international summits here this week, is staying for another day. His goal is to prod Burma's leadership to continue on the path of difficult political, economic and social reforms and reverse a pattern of government-backed crackdowns on free speech and increasing religious diversity. "The work is not yet done," Obama said after meeting with the legislators. The gathering included Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate and pro-democracy icon who has sounded sharp criticism about the pace of reform in recent weeks. She did not address reporters who were allowed in for about 10 minutes. "The goal of the United States here is to be a strong partner in the process," the president said. We'll praise what works, and there are times when we'll offer constructive criticism about a lack of progress in certain areas or where progress has stalled. But our consistent aim and goal will be to see that this transition is completed. Hoping to deepen ties and provide greater support to Burma's government, the White House announced that the United States would open a Peace Corps bureau in the country in late 2015. Obama was scheduled to meet with President Thein Sein on Thursday evening at the presidential palace, before flying to Rangoon on Friday for more meetings with Suu Kyi and a town hall-style event at Yangon University. Two years ago, Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Rangoon for an emotional meeting with Suu Kyi at her lakeside villa, where she had spent 15 years under house arrest. He gave a speech at the university in which he cautioned against complacency on the path of reform, saying the "flickers of progress . . . must become a shining North Star for all this nation's people." But there have been new crackdowns on political dissent, and reporters have been thrown in jail. Violence has increased against a Muslim minority in Burma, also known as Myanmar. And Suu Kyi remains banned from running for president in next year's elections. On Thursday, Obama mentioned a large number of ethnic groups trying to exist together and the longtime tensions, and then added that "the military is still a very powerful institution and managing how it transitions to civilian participation. These are all questions we've seen in many other countries in the region and around the world.