US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Washington will engage directly with Burma's military rulers in a bid to promote democracy there.

美国国务卿希拉里克林顿表示，华盛顿将会直接与缅甸军队首领谈话以促进那里的民主进程。

credible¹ reform" in Burma" width="203" border="0" src="/upimg/090924/4_071816_1.jpg" />
Hillary Clinton says the US wants "credible reform" in Burma

Mrs Clinton said sanctions alone had not changed the government's behaviour.

The new approach follows a review of US policy towards Burma initiated²（开始，创始） after President Barack Obama took office.

Burma's hardline regime has refused to release political prisoners, including Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, despite international pressure.

Mrs Clinton's announcement came after talks with international diplomats³ on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The talks were chaired by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

"We want credible democratic reform, a government that responds to the needs of the Burmese people, immediate⁴, unconditional⁵ release of political prisoners... serious dialogue with the opposition⁶ and minority ethnic⁷ groups," she said.

"We believe that sanctions remain important as part of our policy, but by themselves they have not produced the results that had been hoped for on behalf of the people of Burma.

"Engagement versus⁸ sanctions is a false choice in our opinion," she added.

"So, going forward we will be employing both of those tools, pursuing our same goals. To help achieve democratic reform, we will be engaging directly with Burmese authorities."

US officials said that Congress would be briefed on specifics of the new policy of engagement on Thursday, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Next month a Burmese court is due to give its verdict on Ms Suu Kyi's appeal against her extended house arrest.

Ms Suu Kyi was sentenced in August to a further 18 months' house arrest after a US intruder（侵入者，干扰者） stayed at her home.

She has spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention⁹ and the extension will keep her out of elections next year.