NAYPYITAW Myanmar (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday he is optimistic about political change in Myanmar but that more work was needed to push forward with reforms.
Myanmar emerged from international pariah status when a semi-civilian government took power four years ago and initiated a wave of liberal change after nearly half a century of military rule.
But the pace of change has stalled, and Obama said this week the country was "backsliding" on some reforms.
"I'm confident there will be a completely new day for Myanmar," Obama told reporters after meeting law makers in the country's capital, Naypyitaw. "The work is not done here."
The substantial power still held by the military, which is handling the transition to democracy, was one of the key questions that needed to be dealt with, Obama said.
The military holds 25 percent of seats in parliament, giving it veto power over constitutional amendments.
Obama did not say whether he discussed constitutional reform with the members of parliament. Among the group was opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who is not eligible to become president under the existing constitution.
Obama will meet Suu Kyi again on Friday at her home in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon. She and other politicians made no comment after the meeting.
"It was excellent discussion about this transition taking place in Myanmar around consolidating some of the gains that have been made," Obama said of the talks. "But also pushing further to institute a genuine democracy here in this country that can serve the needs of all of its people."
How to protect minority rights was another key issue in the reforms, Obama said.
The persecuted Muslim Rohingya minority faces a humanitarian crisis in western Rakhine state, and U.S. officials on Thursday called for Myanmar to draft a new plan to allow them to become citizens.
Shwe Mann, who holds the powerful position of parliamentary speaker of the lower house, was in the group of lawmakers that met Obama. He is tipped by some as a contender for the presidency when Myanmar holds a general election in 2015.
(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Nick Macfie and Robert Birsel)