U.S. senator wants Congress consulted on Myanmar sanctions -documents

WASHINGTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator Cory Gardner will introduce legislation on Wednesday, coinciding with the visit to Washington of Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, that would require close consultation with Congress on lifting of any sanctions. Global Witness and other human rights groups have criticized Obama’s move as “a major setback for efforts to clean up Myanmar’s notoriously corrupt and abusive business environment.”

“Lifting restrictions before the new government’s reforms have borne fruit effectively invites US companies to do business with some of the worst figures from the country’s past,” it added. Suu Kyi said it was time to remove remaining sanctions, which have kept U.S. companies and banks leery of involvement in one of Asia's last untapped markets. “The United States is now prepared to lift sanctions that we have imposed on Burma for quite some time,” he said, adding that the move would come “soon.”

“It is the right thing to do to ensure that the people of Burma see rewards for a new way of doing business,” he added.
The Obama administration plans to lift sanctions against Myanmar.