Brussels, 08/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - The National League for Democracy (NLD), the opposition party led by Aung San Suu Kyi, wants to hold discussions with Western countries on possible amendments to the sanctions currently in place against the ruling military junta. “The NLD calls for discussions with the United States, the European Union, Canada and Australia with a view to reaching agreement on when, how and under what circumstances sanctions might be modified in the interests of democracy, human rights and a healthy economic environment”, the party says in a press release cited by Reuters. Aung Sun Suu Kyi, who has spent 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest, was freed on 13 November 2010. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate then indicated that she might call for international sanctions to be lifted. According to observers, sanctions serve only to strengthen links with Thailand and China, which both invest heavily in Burma. In January, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Burma is a member, called on the United States and the EU to put an end to them. (H.B./transl.rt)