WASHINGTON ? Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, a leading congressional voice on Myanmar, will make his first visit to the country next week, his office said Thursday.
McConnell, R-Ky., will meet with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar government officials to discuss political reform in the military-dominated country, bilateral relations and regional security issues.
He will arrive in Myanmar Sunday and return to the United States Wednesday.
Every year since 2003, McConnell has introduced legislation sanctioning Myanmar and would be a prominent voice should the U.S. contemplate easing those restrictions.
Myanmar has made tentative reforms after decades of harsh military rule. It held elections in November 2010 and freed Suu Kyi from years of house arrest but still holds hundreds of political prisoners.
The U.S. is also urging an end to fighting in Myanmar's border regions against the country's ethnic minorities and wants the government to sever its military ties with North Korea.
McConnell is one of several U.S. lawmakers visiting the country also known as Burma this month, following the landmark trip by Hillary Rodham Clinton in December, the first by a U.S. secretary of state in more than 50 years.
Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., is currently in Myanmar, the first member of the House to visit since 1999.
The Obama administration has sought to engage Myanmar after years of the U.S. isolating the military regime but is looking for signs of further reform before it moves toward normalizing ties.
While lifting sanctions appears unlikely in the near term, Washington is considering appointing a full ambassador, which would require a Senate confirmation. The highest U.S. diplomat based in Myanmar is currently a charge d'affaires.
The U.S. is watching closely to see if Myanmar stages free and fair by-elections that Suu Kyi and her party will contest April 1 and most importantly, release political prisoners.
Myanmar says it will release 651 prisoners starting Friday under a new presidential pardon but it is not yet clear whether that will include political detainees.
Improved relations with the U.S. could enable Myanmar to reduce its reliance on key ally and northern neighbor China. Lifting sanctions would open the gates to more foreign aid and investment.
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