Subject: Pool Report #11 Ben Rhodes did a gaggle on the flight from Yangon Rhodes hailed a "very exciting and consequential visit to Burma." He said the US government was encouraged by the following outcomes of the trip. -- he welcomed the Burmese government providing access by the ICRC to prisoners and welcomed the decision to adjudicate the fates of remaining prisoners of conscience. -- Rhodes praised the government's commitment to pursue a ceasefire in Kachin state. --- Regarding the Rohingyas in Rakhine state the government of Myanmar reiterated willingness to address the situation and the underlying issue of citizenship Meeting with Thein Sein "The president commented to both President Thein Sein and ASSK how much the people and the landscape of the country reminded him of Jakarta and Indonesia as a child." Obama told Thein Sein that the "more they do to demonstrate they are implimenting a reform agenda, the more we can do." Thein Sein signalled "how much he wants the United States to be engaged in Burma going forward." ASSK bilat. The president said that as much as the govenment has embraced reform "none of that would have been possi le without the extraordinary sacrifice that ASSK had made over so many years." ASSK spoke about her work in the legislature, constitutional reform and a full transition to civilian rule going forward. He said Obama was pleased to see the stuffed representation of his dog Bo that he gave ASSK in Washington. Gaza Potus has been updated by Tom Donilon and Secretary Clinton. Clinton spoke to the French Foreign minister and UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon before they went to the region. She spoke to the Egyptian PM after he left Gaza and she spoke to the Turkish and Qatari FM. Donilon and Clinton had a conference call with US ambassador to Israel on the flight into Burma. Back to Burma. "The president was very moved by the outpouring of the people lining the streets. "We had originally not thought we had enough tome to go to Shwedagon and the president basically decided in the motorcade .... That he was going to go to Shwedagon." Rhodes said that "multiple times" President Thein Sein used the president's campaign slogan "He said, I want to do what you have been talking about. I want to move forward." With ASSK Obama "commented about how moving it was to visit her in her home where she used to be in prison." On the Myanmar/ Burma terminology. He said that the US government position is still to refer to the country as Burma. He said it was a "diplomatic courtesy to refer to "Myanmar" in his meeting with Thein Sein. "The US government position is still Burma but as we have said, different people call this country by different names." Stephen Collinson AFP White House Correspondent Washington

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