US official in rare Burma talks

Burmese media has played up ties between the junta and the US

A senior US official has held talks with Burma's junta on a visit to the military-ruled nation.

State department official Stephen Blake met the Burmese foreign minister, Nyan Win, in the capital Naypyidaw, as part of a four-day visit.

The US described Mr Blake's visit as routine, but Burma's generals said it was notable given his seniority.

The US has recently said it is seeking new ways to encourage democratic progress in Burma.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last month that Washington was looking at how to influence the government and "more effectively help the Burmese people".

'Cordial discussions'

Mr Blake is the state department's director of Mainland Southeast Asian Affairs.

Burma's military leadership said that his visit to Naypyidaw was the first to the city to promote bilateral relations between the US and Burma, and that a reception held by the US embassy for officials in Naypyidaw to introduce Mr Blake was the first held by any foreign mission in the capital.

Naypyidaw is the administrative capital of a poor, repressed state

The state-controlled New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that Mr Blake and foreign minister Nyan Win held "cordial discussions on issues of mutual interests and promotion of bilateral relations".

"Myanmar [Burma] and the US have been friendly countries since the beginning," a senior Burmese official told the French news agency AFP on condition of anonymity.

But state department spokesman Gordon Duguid later played down the significance of the visit, saying it did not reflect a change in policy or approach to Burma.

"Office director-level officials, including Mr Blake's two immediate predecessors, have visited Burma and met with Burmese officials on a number of occasions in recent years," Mr Duguid said.

Mr Blake also used his visit to Burma to meet members of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD).

The UN and others have called for the release of more than 2,000 political prisoners, including NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi.