Burma will be allowed for the first time to participate in a meeting between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union next week in Europe.
An ASEAN official said this is despite sanctions imposed on the military junta.
Because of Burma's human-rights record, the European Union has refused to hold high-level talks with ASEAN ever since Burma was admitted into ASEAN in 1997.
A VOA reporter in Southeast Asia quotes diplomats as saying the European Union is allowing Burma to attend to "further the cause of democracy," but this visit is an exception, and sanctions will remain in place.
Information for this report is provided by AFP.