in my country and in my house. The friendship between our two countries is of long standing.

The United States has been staunch in its support of the democracy movement in Burma,

and we are confident that this support will continue through the difficult years that

lie ahead. I say difficult because the most difficult time in any transition is when we

think that success is in sight. Then we have to be very careful that we are not lured by

a mirage of success and that we are working to a genuine success for our people and for

the friendship between our two countries.

I believe that we have been able to discuss our various concerns openly, and that as a

result of the President’s visit to this country, the relations between our countries

can only progress in the right direction.

I intend fully to keep in touch with the United States government as far as possible, and

to make sure that we always liaise one another on the most important matters.

Now, I’m told I have three minutes, and I think this is about three minutes. So thank

you all for coming. And I leave the floor to President Obama.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, I’ll try to be pretty brief, although not as eloquent. I was honored

to be the first President to welcome Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to the White House. I’m proud

to be the first American President to visit this spectacular country, and I am very pleased

that one of my first stops is to visit with an icon of democracy who has inspired so many

people not just in this country but all around the world.

I especially want to thank Aung San Suu Kyi for welcoming me to her home. Here, through

so many difficult years, is where she displayed such unbreakable courage and determination.

It’s here where she showed that human freedom and dignity cannot be denied.

Today marks the next step in a new chapter between the United States and Burma. Last

year, in response to early flickers of reform, I asked Secretary Clinton to visit this country

and explore with Aung San Suu Kyi and the government whether the United States could

empower reform efforts and begin a new relationship between our peoples.

In the year since, we’ve seen some very encouraging progress, including Daw Aung San

Suu Kyi’s release and election to Parliament; the release of political prisoners; the lifting

of restrictions on the press; and new laws to expand labor rights and eliminate the use

of child soldiers. And at my direction, the United States has responded to support these

reforms, including the easing of sanctions.

Now, as a former legislator myself, I followed your role in the new Parliament with interest

and admiration. Real democracy involves having different branches of government check and

balance each other, and I applaud your efforts in that regard, particularly as the head of

the committee of the rule of law.

In my discussions here in Yangon, our goal is to sustain the momentum for democratization.

That includes building credible government institutions, establishing rule of law, ending

ethnic conflicts, and ensuring that the people of this country have access to greater education,

health care, and economic opportunity.

And I want to make a pledge to the people of this country that I am confident we can

keep, and that is if we see continued progress towards reform, our bilateral ties will grow

stronger and we will do everything we can to help ensure success.

I'm so happy, by the way, to be joined by Secretary Clinton. This is her last foreign

trip that we're going to take together, and it is fitting that we have come here to a

country that she has done so much to support.

Where did Hillary go? Where is she? There she is. (Applause.)

I could not be more grateful, not only for your service, Hillary, but also for the powerful

message that you and Aung San Suu Kyi send about the importance of women and men everywhere

embracing and promoting democratic values and human rights.

So again, I want to thank you, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, for your extraordinary hospitality

and grace; the power of your example, which has been an inspiration to people all around

the world, including myself. Clearly, you will be playing a key role in your country's

future for many years to come as Burma seeks the freedom and the prosperity and the dignity

that not only the people of this country deserve but people all around the world deserve.

So thank you for your inspiring message. (Applause.)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you. (Applause.) Myanmar Naingan, Mingalaba! (Laughter and applause.)

I am very honored to be here at this university and to be the first President of the United

States of America to visit your country.

I came here because of the importance of your country. You live at the crossroads of East

and South Asia. You border the most populated nations on the planet. You have a history

that reaches back thousands of years, and the ability to help determine the destiny

of the fastest growing region of the world.

I came here because of the beauty and diversity of your country. I have seen just earlier

today the golden stupa of Shwedagon, and have been moved by the timeless idea of metta -- the

belief that our time on this Earth can be defined by tolerance and by love. And I know

this land reaches from the crowded neighborhoods of this old city to the homes of more than

60,000 villages; from the peaks of the Himalayas, the forests of Karen State, to the banks of

the Irrawady River.

I came here because of my respect for this university. It was here at this school where

opposition to colonial rule first took hold. It was here that Aung San edited a magazine

before leading an independence movement. It was here that U Thant learned the ways of

the world before guiding it at the United Nations. Here, scholarship thrived during

the last century and students demanded their basic human rights. Now, your Parliament has

at last passed a resolution to revitalize this university and it must reclaim its greatness,

because the future of this country will be determined by the education of its youth.

I came here because of the history between our two countries. A century ago, American

traders, merchants and missionaries came here to build bonds of faith and commerce and friendship.

And from within these borders in World War II, our pilots flew into China and many of

our troops gave their lives. Both of our nations emerged from the British Empire, and the United

States was among the first countries to recognize an independent Union of Burma. We were proud

to found an American Center in Rangoon and to build exchanges with schools like this

one. And through decades of differences, Americans have been united in their affection for this

country and its people.

Above all, I came here because of America’s belief in human dignity. Over the last several

decades, our two countries became strangers. But today, I can tell you that we always remained

hopeful about the people of this country, about you. You gave us hope and we bore witness

to your courage.

We saw the activists dressed in white visit the families of political prisoners on Sundays

and monks dressed in saffron protesting peacefully in the streets. We learned of ordinary people

who organized relief teams to respond to a cyclone, and heard the voices of students

and the beats of hip-hop artists projecting the sound of freedom. We came to know exiles

and refugees who never lost touch with their families or their ancestral home. And we were

inspired by the fierce dignity of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as she proved that no human being

can truly be imprisoned if hope burns in your heart.

When I took office as President, I sent a message to those governments who ruled by

fear. I said, in my inauguration address, “We will extend a hand if you are willing

to unclench your fist.” And over the last year and a half, a dramatic transition has

begun, as a dictatorship of five decades has loosened its grip. Under President Thein Sein,

the desire for change has been met by an agenda for reform. A civilian now leads the government,

and a parliament is asserting itself. The once-outlawed National League for Democracy

stood in an election, and Aung San Suu Kyi is a Member of Parliament. Hundreds of prisoners

of conscience have been released, and forced labor has been banned. Preliminary cease-fires

have been reached with ethnic armies, and new laws allow for a more open economy.

So today, I’ve come to keep my promise and extend the hand of friendship. America now

has an Ambassador in Rangoon, sanctions have been eased, and we will help rebuild an economy

that can offer opportunity for its people, and serve as an engine of growth for the world.

But this remarkable journey has just begun, and has much further to go. Reforms launched

from the top of society must meet the aspirations of citizens who form its foundation. The flickers

of progress that we have seen must not be extinguished -- they must be strengthened;

they must become a shining North Star for all this nation’s people.

And your success in that effort is important to the United States, as well as to me. Even

though we come from different places, we share common dreams: to choose our leaders; to live

together in peace; to get an education and make a good living; to love our families and

our communities. That’s why freedom is not an abstract idea; freedom is the very thing

that makes human progress possible -- not just at the ballot box, but in our daily lives.

One of our greatest Presidents in the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, understood

this truth. He defined America’s cause as more than the right to cast a ballot. He understood

democracy was not just voting. He called upon the world to embrace four fundamental freedoms:

freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. These four

freedoms reinforce one another, and you cannot fully realize one without realizing them all.

So that's the future that we seek for ourselves, and for all people. And that is what I want

to speak to you about today.

First, we believe in the right of free expression so that the voices of ordinary people can

be heard, and governments reflect their will -- the people's will.

In the United States, for more than two centuries, we have worked to keep this promise for all

of our citizens -- to win freedom for those who were enslaved; to extend the right to

vote for women and African Americans; to protect the rights of workers to organize.

And we recognize no two nations achieve these rights in exactly the same way, but there

is no question that your country will be stronger if it draws on the strength of all of its

people. That’s what allows nations to succeed. That’s what reform has begun to do.

Instead of being repressed, the right of people to assemble together must now be fully respected.

Instead of being stifled, the veil of media censorship must continue to be lifted. And

as you take these steps, you can draw on your progress. Instead of being ignored, citizens

who protested the construction of the Myitsone dam were heard. Instead of being outlawed,

political parties have been allowed to participate. You can see progress being made. As one voter

said during the parliamentary elections here, “Our parents and grandparents waited for

this, but never saw it.” And now you can see it. You can taste freedom.

And to protect the freedom of all the voters, those in power must accept constraints. That's

what our American system is designed to do. Now, America may have the strongest military

in the world, but it must submit to civilian control. I, as the President of the United

States, make determinations that the military then carries out, not the other way around.

As President and Commander-In-Chief, I have that responsibility because I'm accountable

to the people.

Now, on other hand, as President, I cannot just impose my will on Congress -- the Congress

of the United States -- even though sometimes I wish I could. The legislative branch has

its own powers and its own prerogatives, and so they check my power and balance my power.

I appoint some of our judges, but I cannot tell them how to rule, because every person

in America -- from a child living in poverty to me, the President of the United States

-- is equal under the law. And a judge can make a determination as to whether or not

I am upholding the law or breaking the law. And I am fully accountable to that law.

And I describe our system in the United States because that's how you must reach for the

future that you deserve -- a future where a single prisoner of conscience is one too

many. You need to reach for a future where the law is stronger than any single leader,

because it's accountable to the people. You need to reach for a future where no child

is made to be a soldier and no woman is exploited, and where the laws protect them even if they're

vulnerable, even if they're weak; a future where national security is strengthened by

a military that serves under civilians and a Constitution that guarantees that only those

who are elected by the people may govern.

On that journey, America will support you every step of the way -- by using our assistance

to empower civil society; by engaging your military to promote professionalism and human

rights; and by partnering with you as you connect your progress towards democracy with

economic development. So advancing that journey will help you pursue a second freedom -- the

belief that all people should be free from want.

It's not enough to trade a prison of powerlessness for the pain of an empty stomach. But history

shows that governments of the people and by the people and for the people are far more

powerful in delivering prosperity. And that's the partnership we seek with you.

When ordinary people have a say in their own future, then your land can’t just be taken

away from you. And that's why reforms must ensure that the people of this nation can

have that most fundamental of possessions -- the right to own the title to the land

on which you live and on which you work.

When your talents are unleashed, then opportunity will be created for all people. America is

lifting our ban on companies doing business here, and your government has lifted restrictions

on investment and taken steps to open up your economy. And now, as more wealth flows into