Aung San Suu Kyi and Hillary Clinton meet in Myanmar

(December 03.2011) U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, two of the world's most recognizable female leaders, pledged Friday to work together to bring democracy to Suu Kyi's long isolated and repressive nation. Wrapping up a historic three-day visit to Myanmar, Clinton held hands with Suu Kyi on the porch of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's lakeside home where she spent much of the past two decades under house arrest and thanked her for her ``steadfast and very clear leadership.'' The meeting was the second in as many days for the pair, who appeared to have bonded almost as sisters after a private, one-on-one dinner in Yangon on Thursday.``You have been an inspiration but I know that you feel you are standing for all the people of your country who deserve the same rights and freedoms as people everywhere,'' Clinton told Suu Kyi. ``The people have been courageous and strong in the face of great difficulty over too many years. We want to see this country take its rightful place in the world.'' Suu Kyi has welcomed Clinton's visit and tentatively embraced reforms enacted by Myanmar's new civilian government. She thanked the secretary and President Barack Obama for their ``careful and calibrated'' engagement that has seen the U.S. take some modest steps to improve ties. ``We are happy with the way in which the United States is engaging with us,'' she said. ``It is through engagement that we hope to promote the process of democratization. Because of this engagement, I think our way ahead will be clearer and we will be able to trust that the process of democratization will go forward.''