Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Aung San Suu Kyi, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said today as he met her on the final day of a groundbreaking trip to Burma.

Andrew Mitchell is the first British Minister in a generation to make a full official visit to Burma, where he has met the president and other senior leaders from Burma’s government and opposition and ethnic parties.

He also travelled to Mandalay, where he saw first-hand how British aid is helping ordinary Burmese people and supporting change in Burma.

Andrew Mitchell said:

‘Aung San Suu Kyi is an inspiration and a personal hero to many across the world. It is an immense honour to have met her. Her commitment to bringing real democracy and national reconciliation to Burma is a beacon of hope for the future. As I saw today on the visit we made to a school in Rangoon, she represents the hopes and dreams of Burma’s people.

‘I am making this unprecedented visit because there are tentative – but real – signs of progress in Burma, which I welcome. But my message is clear: we need urgent further progress. I call upon the Burmese government to release all political prisoners – including Min Ko Naing - immediately; to ensure the coming by-elections are free and fair; and to take steps to end the conflict on Burma’s borders and strengthen respect for human rights and the rule of law. These actions would signal the way for a fundamental shift in the relationship between Burma and Britain.’

The British government stands ready to help the people of Burma further, through its aid and development programmes as well as its diplomatic efforts. No British aid is currently channelled through the Burmese Government.

Andrew Mitchell was speaking after he and Aung San Suu Kyi together visited a school in Hlaingtharya township, Rangoon.

During his visit the International Development Secretary also met the staff and pupils of a monastic school in Mandalay and visited a healthcare clinic. Days after Remembrance Sunday, he is meeting British Legion veterans and will lay a wreath at the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Rangoon, the final resting place of thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers.