Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi (R) and US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell (L) leave following their meeting at a hotel in Yangon on November 4. Washington is ready to boost ties with Myanmar but will not lift sanctions until there is progress on democracy, a US diplomat said Thursday after the highest-level talks with the ruling junta in years Photo:Hla Hla Htay/AFP