A senior U.S. Senator is calling for the downgrading of diplomatic relations with military-ruled Burma.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Republican (from Kentucky) who led a campaign to impose trade sanctions against Burma, says the Burmese Ambassador in Washington should be expelled, because the military government refuses to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.
In a statement released Friday, the lawmaker also said he was pleased that some members of the European Union have taken what he described as "a principled stand" by rejecting Burma's participation in the upcoming Asia-Europe Meeting.
He also said the United Nations must do more to restore democracy to Burma.
(As Majority Whip,) Sen. McConnell is the second-highest ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate.
Information for this report is provided by AFP and Senator McConnell Press Release.