With the right kind of institutions, starting with the rule of law, Burma could progress very quickly.

To abolish fear correctly is to nurture law and order.

I'm feeling a little delicate.

Leaders of political parties need to keep in contact with the people; that's what it's all about. If violence were to erupt, I am fairly confident that we could control our people. Whether or not the authorities can control theirs is another matter altogether.

Burma is not yet a full-fledged democracy. We have started working on the road to full democracy. We have a lot of things to do in order to build a democratic structure and to be become a full-fledged democracy.

The people of my country want the two freedoms that spell security: freedom from want and freedom from fear.

If I advocate cautious optimism it is not because I do not have faith in the future but because I do not want to encourage blind faith.