Long-standing trade sanctions against Myanmar to be lifted:Obama

US President Barack Obama has said, the long-standing trade sanctions against Myanmar are to be lifted. The news came as Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi reached Washington on her first official visit.

Mr Obama sent a letter to the Congress yesterday adding Myanmar to the Generalised System of Preferences, a list which exempts certain countries from high import taxes.

style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He said, the lifting of some sanctions would happen soon, but did not give further details. The US President said, the country should now be allowed to benefit from preferential tariffs as it emerges from decades of military rule.Ms Suu Kyi called on the US Congress to eliminate all remaining sanctions against Myanmar.

Myanmar's access to trade benefits for poorer nations had been suspended in 1989 over human rights abuses.