Secretary of State Colin Powell has called Burma a "despotic regime" and he says it will be difficult to, as he puts it, "crack the will" of its military leaders.
Mr. Powell told a Senate committee Wednesday that he will work with U.S. allies in Southeast Asia to put more pressure on Burma's military government. He said Washington condemns the way in which Burma's rulers keep opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi out of the political process and civil society.
Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest last year.
Mr. Powell said he will discuss the situation in Burma with his counterparts at a June meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cambodia.
Information for this report is provided by AFP.