Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi made a triumphant debut Tuesday in Washington as she met Hillary Clinton, who voiced excitement at the opposition leader's journey from house arrest to stateswoman. A relaxed and smiling Suu Kyi, dressed in a red jacket with three small pink flowers pinned to her hair, chatted with America's top diplomat at her office in the State Department at the start of an unprecedented 18-day US tour.
There is "so much excitement and enthusiasm about the fact that you can actually come," Clinton said as two of the world's most recognised women leaders entered talks. It was the second meeting between the Nobel Peace Prize winner and Clinton, who visited Myanmar in December in an effort to encourage the dramatic reforms underway in a nation that had been ruled for decades by military leaders.
Suu Kyi served 15 years under house arrest until her 2010 release. In a sign of further change, Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy said authorities had released another 87 political prisoners in the country also known as Burma. The timing was seen as linked to President Thein Sein's own visit to the United States next week to attend the UN General Assembly. The former general surprised many observers by embracing reform when he took office last year. The White House has not commented on whether President Barack Obama will meet Suu Kyi or Thein Sein.
Suu Kyi enjoys wide respect across the political spectrum in Washington. On Wednesday, she will be greeted by top lawmakers from both parties and former first lady Laura Bush as the opposition leader receives the Congressional Gold Medal, the top honour bestowed by Congress.
Among her nearly 100 events across the United States, Suu Kyi will head on September 25 to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to meet the sizable Burmese community that has resettled in the Midwestern city. Clinton said the people of Fort Wayne were "eagerly awaiting" Suu Kyi's visit and that she would like to hear more from the Nobel laureate on "how people ended up there, and are living there."
Suu Kyi will also head to the states of New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Kentucky and California to accept awards, speak to students and scholars, and greet refugees from her country. The hectic schedule has worried some of Suu Kyi's supporters. The 67-year-old fell ill in June during a punishing tour of Europe. Suu Kyi has not visited the United States since before the 1990 elections. She worked in New York at the United Nations headquarters from 1969 to 1971.