British Prime Minister Wants Myanmar Sanctions Suspended BANGKOK - In the first visit of a British prime minister to Myanmar in decades, David Cameron said Friday that he supported a suspension - but not a lifting - of European Union sanctions against the country, a nuanced position that received the support of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the democracy activist who recently won election to public office. Mr. Cameron also said he would oppose a lifting of the European arms embargo on Myanmar. Mr. Cameron met with both Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and President Thein Sein, who is leading the country's ambitious reform process after decades of military rule. The British leader's cautious, carrot-and-stick approach to lifting the sanctions appeared to reflect the perceived fragility of the reforms and the threat of hard-line elements in the country rolling them back. Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi said at a news conference with Mr. Cameron that suspending sanctions instead of outright rescinding them would "make it quite clear to those who are against reform that should they try to obstruct the way of the reformers, then sanctions could come back." Suspending the sanctions also preserves significant leverage for Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi in dealing with the government; she is regularly consulted by Western nations before decisions on sanctions are taken. The European Union is scheduled to take up the issue of sanctions on April 23, the same day that Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi is slated to take a seat in Myanmar's Parliament. The United States has adopted a similar approach in response to the reforms of Mr. Thein Sein, a former general who became president a year ago. The Obama administration has waived but not rescinded a number of punitive measures, including travel bans on the Burmese leadership. The United States still maintains a complex web of sanctions against Myanmar, including restrictions on trade and investment, part of a raft of punitive economic measures imposed during successive crackdowns on democratic forces by the previous military junta. Even after the United States government waives some of those measures, many multinational companies will probably wait before re-entering Myanmar, said Priscilla A. Clapp, a former chief of mission at the United States Embassy in Myanmar. "Companies aren't going to be willing to make an investment on the basis of waived sanctions," she said, calling the situation "still very fragile."