Britain's Cameron visits Myanmar, Suu Kyi

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar, April 13 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in Myanmar Friday for a visit that observers said could signal an easing of sanctions on the Asian country.

On arriving in Myanmar's capital of Naypyitaw, Cameron said the government of the former Burma must demonstrate recent shifts to democracy are real, the BBC reported.

"There is a government now that says it is committed to reform, that has started to take steps, and I think it is right to encourage those steps," Cameron said. "We should be under no illusions about what a long way there is to go and how much more the government has to do to genuinely show this reform is real and that it's irreversible, and we should be very cautious and very skeptical about that."

Myanmar President Thein Sein said, "This visit of your excellency is significant and historical in our bilateral relations. We are very encouraged and we are most appreciative of your kind acknowledgement towards Myanmar."

Cameron also was to meet pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who won a parliamentary seat in a recent special election. Cameron is the first Western leader to visit Myanmar since Suu Kyi's election, the BBC said.

After decades of stifling rule by a military junta that saw a myriad of sanctions instituted against it, Myanmar conducted its first general election in 20 years in 2010. Since the military-backed civilian government took office in March 2011, a series of reforms has been instituted, prompting world leaders to indicate they would consider easing sanctions and welcoming Myanmar into the international community.

Cameron called Suu Kyi "a shining example for people who yearn for freedom, for democracy, for progress."

Myanmar is the final country of Cameron's tour of Southeast Asia to promote British interests